Saturday, April 28, 2007

Saturday Realization

After an afternoon of art perusing/shopping with Sarah, I had a realization.



=



If it wasn't for the pirin tablets, I don't know how I could go on.

Friday, April 27, 2007

My Numerology Reading

Wow ... your life path is known as a master number in numerology


You are what is known as a master number. The number 11 is the symbol of the spiritual seeker. Your purpose in this life time is to achieve enlightenment. Sometimes this is done by finding a teacher and other times it is a matter of experiencing an number of negative situations that are designed to rid you of toxic emotional connections and clear your karma. If you are a number eleven and seem to be having a rough time then keep in mind that is typical of your number to experience a life filled with mysterious losses and either very fortunate or unfortunate twists of fate.

Part of your trying experiences is the cosmos' way of pushing you into finding the spiritual awareness that you need to elevate your soul. The number 11 path is often called the Path of Extremist simply because you lead a life filled with so many highs and lows. You are often like two people. One life is your public life in which you might appear as an eccentric or unusual character and the other is your secret life, which is obsessed with finding the answers to eternal questions.

You are probably a fairly well educated person who is still looking for answers when it comes to spirituality. One of the character traits of a number 11 is to look far and wide for lofty spiritual answers when often the answer is right underneath your nose. As number 11's can be quite snobbish or proud of their status as a spiritual seeker the universe often presents them with many lessons that serve to challenge their pride.

You probably don't fit into society very well and have to do a lot of pretending and acting to survive in a normal job or relationship. You have unusual tastes and may have a bohemian character that is very interested in the new and avant-garde. Your broad-minded point of view and permissiveness with morals makes you lots of enemies and friends alike.

If there is one thing that your friends find frustrating about you it is that you are a bit of a fence sitter. Your ability to see so many angles of a situation often causes you to be indecisive or not to act at all. For this reason many 11's often let opportunities in life pass them by. They are so focused on being visionaries that they forget to pay attention to small practical details.

Your sharp intuition and rich understanding of both spirituality and human nature makes you the perfect spiritual counselor. Even if this is not your profession you have probably noticed that others naturally seek out your guidance and advice during a crisis.

You are a very idealistic individual and envision a world in which everyone is equal. For this reason you somewhat dislike the idea of relationships as they mean that one human should be more exclusive to you than another. One of your highest spiritual qualities is to make everyone that you meet feel like they are special and a soul mate.

If you are an 11, it is also typical for the needs of your personality to be in constant conflict with the direction of your higher self. You have probably noticed that you get away with a lot less than other numbers. For instance if you do a bad deed, the resulting bad karma seems more immediate. This is because your path is a path of retribution that is about the negation of the self to allow the higher self to be divinely inspired by a higher power.

your Expression of 5 ...
Your Potential Natural Talents and Abilities


You are optimistic, inquisitive and embrace change. You are a freedom-loving individual who expresses their love of independence often through a bohemian or unusual life style. You are blessed with a brilliant creative mind that is never at a loss for a solution to a problem.

As your independence is so important to you, you thrive best in creative occupations that allow you a great deal of travel. You have an eye for design and appreciate the good things in life. In fact, you may spend a lot of your time trying to figure out how to get these things without having to work too hard.

If you are a typical five then you will meet with the most success by selling some aspect of yourself or your talent. The height of your personal expression is in your talent for persuasion. This is why you are best suited for jobs in media, marketing and design.

You very much believe that a person is defined by what he does and not what he wants to do so any business or project that you start will be very much branded with your personal flair. It is a number 5 that tends to name a business after himself or send out a resume with a photo.

When it comes to business you also tend to have a "hands on" approach as you rely a lot on your wit, charm and good looks to get what you want. Once the deal is sealed, however, you sometimes have difficulty seeing it through to completion. This is because your brilliant mind is captured by so many other interests that it is difficult for you to focus sometimes.

Sometimes your need to express your independence brings you to a critical point in both your professional and personal relationships. You are terrified of being stuck in one place or having your free spirit suffocated by labels and possessiveness. For this reason many of you feel quite suffocated in relationships or are unable to hold down a day job for any length of time.

You are very popular socially because you are the life of every party. You have light nimble mind and have excellent verbal skills. You also have enormous powers of analysis that gives you an edge when it comes to investing money, judging others and avoiding harmful situations.

You are also very accepting of new people and new ideas. The last thing that could ever be said of you is that you are closed minded. You will try anything once and you often respond willingly to a dare. However, sometimes your permissiveness leads to relationships with odd or unstable individuals.

Romantically others may find you hard to get close to as you would rather sit and chat than get intimate. Others fail to understand that the most valued expression of your love is the expression of your hopes and dreams to another.

You are also very pragmatic when it comes to all of your relationships and believe in treating everyone equally. Deep down you are very philosophical about relationships and believe that no person should be so important that he or she should have the power to make you happy or sad. This can often distress your soul mate who doesn't feel that special in your presence. Part of your challenge might be showing through your actions, how loving all without sacrificing one can be achieved.


This pretty much hits the nail on the head.

Style Upgrade

I've had the highlighted layered look now for 6 months and I'm getting a bit tired of it. So, I'm thinking of growing out the layers. Either I'll get a blunt bob or a stacked bob cut like this.


I also want to go red again. So hopefully in July my hair will be long enough to enact my style change.

Just When I Think I'm Out, It Pulls Me Back In

Earlier on this blog, I talked about Air Force Asshole (the guy who was my best friend until I had my stroke and he got angry at me for doing that to him). He's also the guy who told me that if I had laid off of the Twinkies, I wouldn't have had a stroke. The last time we had any contact with each other was late 2001. It was easy to cut him out of my life since he was living in CA and he took most of our mutual friends with him.

This past year I discovered his presence on the blogosphere. He's still the same guy I remember self-righteous and convinced of his glorious talent. Imagine my horror when I discovered that he moved back to MA and is working in Boston. The likelihood of possibly bumping into him has grown ten-fold and I've been having nightmares lately. He can't do anything more to hurt me, I know. But the memory of what he did to me five years ago is still painful. I'm not once burned twice shy. I'm once burned, make a mental list.

The nightmares are basically of me being chased or being driven off a road. I know it's ridiculous that after everything I have accomplished and survived, some nasty comments still haunt me. Maybe the six years of not dealing with him and his comments just put my feelings on pause? Now here I was thinking that I had been mature and worked through the hurt. Sigh... At least I am saner and have better friends now!

Thursday, April 26, 2007

I Got An A!

When my paper was handed back last night, I didn't immediately flip to the back to see my grade. I thumbed through the pages to see the professor's comments. There were a lot of exclamation points and check marks so I was a bit confused. This was the paper that didn't come close to the page requirement and had no conclusion. But I got a A anyways! I'm happy that content and research trumped formatting. My grade range for this class is between B+ and A depending on how I do on the take home final.

This got me thinking about life post-graduation. I like school because I have clear goals and get feedback on my work. But life isn't like that. So what will I be "graded" on after I get my MBA? My tae kwon do belt, my salary, my weight, and relationships can all be graded. Right now, I think I'm passing 2 out of 4.

The other thing to consider is that I like being busy. Having a full plate of things to do makes me feel alive and energized. After May 19, my Things To Do will be drastically smaller so will I feel dead and lethargic? Due to my need to be busy, I have trouble relaxing and taking it easy - which is why a week vacation is worthless to me. It takes me a week to get relaxed! So far my post-graduation plans are:

May 19 to 31 - get used to no school, start relaxing
June through July - enjoy time off
August - take a week off to bring home my kitten and orient him.
September - Monday night chorus, Tuesday and Thursday Tae Kwon Do. Possibly pottery or Hebrew classes.

Wednesday, April 25, 2007

Middle School Sex Books

I came across some pretty screwed up sex books as a teenager. The worst one was "The Story of O" when I was 11. I thought it was a biography of O. Henry. Little did I know it was a S&M bondage story that takes place in Paris. Pierced clitorises people. "The Diary of Laura Palmer" was pretty horrific too.

There was a book that we had from either a yard sale or my grandmother's cast-offs that was about mental patients hijacking a high school bus. The psycho leader punished his followers who had urges for the students by using a vegetable peeler on their penises. There was a lesbian psycho in the gang and one of the students had had an affair with her friends father. It was just a pulpy mess of sexual perversity that seriously skeeved me out.

There was one series of books that was basically porn but could be read openly by pretending that you were interested in anthropology. Yup, I am talking about the "Clan of the Cave Bear" series aka Sex through Prehistory. I remember liking the details of prehistoric life, then turning the page and thinking, "Aw geez, Ayla and Jondolar are at it AGAIN."

I tried to balance out these scary books with nice romance novels. I remember loving "The Diary of Trilby Frost". I have been scared of lockjaw ever since. It was an INNOCENT book people! Get your minds out of the gutter...

Outing Myself

Since I'm almost done with my MBA coursework, I figure it's time to reveal the MBA program that I have been enrolled in. I am getting my MBA from Babson College May 19, 2007. I started classes Fall 2003. The one thing I regret from going through the program is that I only started taking their Entrepreneurship courses this past year. There is a reason why Babson Entrepreneurship is #1 year after year. The classes are inspiring and even the homework is fascinating. I know I have the entrepreneurial spirit but I don't think I have entrepreneurial courage. I am too cautious about money and appreciate security. So, any of you venture capitalists out there want to pick my brain and fund the best idea?

Tonight, I'm getting my marketing paper back. I'm mentally preparing for the worst (C). Tonight is our last class and we'll get our take home final. I do have another Tuesday night class so technically my last MBA class is May 8.

Yesterday, I had two fillings redone. I could see the dread on my dentist's face since I'm the Girl Who Cannot Get Numb. The top filling was completely painless. I could have fallen asleep. It turns out our gums on top are more spongey and take Novocain well. The bottom required two rounds of Novocain. I had to direct him where to inject, under my tongue towards my jawline, since that worked with my last dentist. It took 5 hours for the Novocain to wear off - which was cutting it close since I had a presentation last night.

Monday, April 23, 2007

Confessions of a Cell Phone Retard

I am probably the only person on the planet who doesn't use the cell phone while driving. I basically have a cell for convenience and emergency situations. It sits in my purse barely used costing me $22/month (I have T-mobile). Lately, I've been wondering if I should sack up and actually learn how to use the cell phone effectively. Learning would require me to get a better phone of course. Right now, I have a generic Samsung with the fanciest feature being texting. I know I'd like a camera at least. Internet would be nice too.

I don't want to jump into the deep end by buying the best phone with all the features like this. The upper end of my comfort zone is this.
I think this could be a nice baby step. I simply don't get RAZRs. How the hell are they practical? RAZRs are so wide, you have to be a gagantuan to hold a single phone! I also have no idea what blue tooth is and why I would want to pay extra for it.

My First Wine Tasting Party


Saturday night, I went to an Australian wine tasting party at my friend's place in Roslindale. Since this was my first tasting, I had no idea what the procedure or rules were. I just knew I had to bring two bottles of the same wine. I went in wanting to win. I have no idea how a wine tasting brought out my competitive side but it did. Win what? Win for best adjectives?

The party kit is simply amazing. The booklets and handy adjective guide were amazing. Yeah, I lost my vocabulary by bottle 2. We started with whites. I'm a white fan so there wasn't really anything I disliked. But I must say, there are only so many adjectives you can use with whites but with reds it's like a continual surprise. I learned that sniffing the wine with your mouth open is very informative. Also, mixing wines with cheeses can drastically alter the taste. For music, we listened to Comcast's TV big band station. Since Mel Torme was played a couple times, we discussed "Night Court" which lead to an 80's TV walk down memory lane. I had the first wine I hated with the reds. The adjectives I used were meaty and leathery. Blech!

We ended the night with a yummy cake and watching "Ferris Bueller's Day Off". Plus, each of us got a bottle of wine to take home!

Shredder Heaven

I don't care that I'm thirty years old but the glee I felt while I was shredding three years worth of financial documents, made me feel five again. I had to actively resist the urge to find different objects to shred. It was also fun to see which papers produced the most colorful shreds.

Having a shredder made Sunday pretty fun even though I wound up locking myself out of my apartment (the landlord provided me with the key even though my poor dad came out to drop off the wrong key) and I hit writers block for a presentation due Tuesday night. On the up side, I only have 4 more classes left until I receive my MBA.

Friday, April 20, 2007

Lingering Bad Voodoo

I tend to be pretty superstitious and see patterns where there really aren't any. So, karmically, I got my butt kicked this morning from the Wendy's idiocy from last night. I'm humbler and more wary now.

This morning, I started working on an invoice and realized that the carbon slips I told the receptionist to throw out actually are needed to reconcile the invoice. Oops. I sent an email to the receptionist asking for info on the invoice. She called me basically to say that she was right and I was wrong. Which I knew but didn't really help me with the invoice, so I was snippy with her. I thanked her cheerily at the end of the call but she had already hung up.

Confused and concerned, I walked up to the reception desk and as I approached I heard her complaining about me to two other co-workers. The look on her face when I popped up and innocently asked, "Oh, were you talking about me?" was priceless. We had a chat about the invoice where she claimed I yelled at her. I denied that so she downgraded it to snippiness. I apologized just in time for her to lob my favorite parting shot "You're not just snippy with me. Others have noticed it." I asked her who but she clammed up.

This was my morning. So I wrote an official sounding apology email that politely requested that any problems she has with me should brought to the attention of our HR manager not discussed with co-workers. The response email from her was completely inappropriate and took un-necessary jabs at me personally. She wrote, "I'm not a smart college educated girl like you but..." It's nice to see the true colors of a supposed work friend.

I do admit, I can sometimes be snippy with people. But I have never received a complaint. In fact, in my performance review my boss told me that everyone loved working with me and having me here. Maybe the limitations of this job are wearing on me and I'm being rude to people? I don't know. But I really like this company and feel like I'm in a good groove. The problem is if you piss off the receptionist, you're screwed. As a contingency, I'm happy that I am looking for a new job now. In fact, I got a very promising response today from a company that I have been trying to get into for years.

Capping Off a Horrible Day with Supreme Idiocy

Since I was having such a horrible day, I turned to my usual solace. Food. I decided to use my weekly flex points on Wendy's takeout. As I pulled up to the cashier window and handed over the money, I was greeted by the cashier's question, "Are you a Scientologist?" Confused, I stared back at her blankly wondering if I had pulled up to the wrong drive thru. Nope, this wasn't Cult Recruiters R' Us. After some more minutes of awkward silence, she explained why she asked. She asked because I was wearing a red bendel. I told her Jews wear the red string. She kept asking me over and over if I had exact change. I told her over and over no. I got my food and drove away still pissed and confused.

When I got home I realized that I only had change for a $10 but I handed her a $20. So, I stood there wondering if I should go back and ask for correct change. Of course I didn't have a receipt. Another layer of hesitation was the fact that if I made a stink, I had already labeled myself as a Jew so I didn't want to feed into stereotypes or represent negatively. But I'm my mother's daughter so I drove back to the cashier window and asked for correct change. The cashier had to go get her manager. As I waited, a big truck pulled up behind me and the driver hollered at me to move forward. I yelled back that I was waiting for the cashier. He yelled back saying that I could park and walk in so I yelled back "So could you." Then he called me a whore. No, he called me "HOR -AH".

Long story short, I did wind up parking and going inside. The manager claimed the till evened out and they couldn't give me change so I told him about the Scientologist comment. He had a word with the cashier. I left. I figured out why she connected the red bendel to Scientology. She probably reads People magazine and a lot of stars are into Kabbalah then she confused that with another celebrity religion. The worst part of the story is that I realized much later last night that I did give her a $10. I had mixed up my trips to the ATM.

Thursday, April 19, 2007

Romance Series Reunion





When I was a teenager, I loved this series of historical romance novels. Each novel had a different setting in history and the title was the girl's name. I wore out my library card on these books and yet I haven't been able to track down the books or what the series was called.

I hit the jackpot today. It was called the Sunfire series and the books are now out of print. Yet a couple people are selling the books on Ebay. I've put a bid in for a collection of 13. I'm sure the books aren't as amazing as my teenage memory tells me but to be able to read them again would be a BLAST! I remember the Kathleen and Laura books vividly.

A Trip to the Dentist

All my life, I've had finicky nerves that don't line up to any dental map. My first dentist didn't care if I could feel the drill so he just proceeded. My second dentist shot me so full of Novocaine that my ears were numb. I'm onto my third dentist and I had my first filling with him this morning.

It took a while to numb me but once my jaw and lip were dead, we thought it was safe to proceed. A couple minutes into drilling he hit a spot that I could completely feel. The shock of that pain made me flail a bit. He stopped and told me he'd avoid the area to let the Novocaine spread. Back in he went and he found another nerve ending that was alive and well. So, we took a time out and he shot me full of more Novocaine. I like him and I trust his dental expertise but I was already nervous about getting a filling so having an aching jaw from painful nerve endings made me pretty tense.

After a while, the third time he went in for drilling was better but there were points where I could still feel pain. But I had made a decision. I wanted to get this over with and I had endured worse and more life threatening pain so I would suck it up when he hit feeling parts. I only let my eyes widen or nostrils flare in reaction to pain. The hygienist saw every flinch but the dentist thought the second round of Novocaine was really working. Ha! I am stoic. Breathing and repeating a mantra helped a lot.

Now I'm back home with a numb tongue that feels as big as a boa constrictor. I have two more filling to look forward to next Tuesday. Oh joy! I am Sparta.

Wednesday, April 18, 2007

Better Yet Worse

Thanks to a great Tae Kwon Do class last night, my mood is much better. It was really cool seeing my fellow former white belts lined up with yellow belts. I wound up landing funny on my right ankle but, either because I'm in good shape or kicking with a bum ankle cures whatever ails it, I'm fine today.

The cold/infection I'm battling has metamorphosed into a combo ear/eye problem. I woke up with a screwed up right eye and an aching jaw. If I have a twofer: sinus infection and pink eye, I will take a WEEK off and pump myself full of meds. Tomorrow is going to be a sick day to see if a day of R&R will help.

I have ventured into Wishlist territory with TiVo. My lists are solely actors. Johnny Depp has done a lot of crap movies unfortunately. I hated "The Astronaut's Wife" and "The Ninth Gate". Vincent D'Onofrio isn't any better in that regard. But "Stuart Saves His Family" is pretty damn awesome. I've had pretty good luck with Daniel Day Lewis and Nicole Kidman. "The Crucible" with Lewis is so frustratingly, terrifyingly awesome. The scene where he screams, "But it is my NAME!" gives me chills. I have no idea what Nicole Kidman was thinking when she signed on for "Birth". It was horrible. But I am starting to become fascinated with Danny Huston (Angelica Huston's brother). Wishlist?

My grandparents sent me a gorgeous card congratulating me on my conversion with money so that is very cool.

Tuesday, April 17, 2007

Crashing and Burning

Saturday I finished my term paper by running out of things to write about. I basically don't have a conclusion, just a fade out. It's done and I won't bother trying to clean or fix it up because I am officially burnt out. Why is it official? Well, I'm coming down with strep or a head cold. I also accidentally turned off my alarm this morning so I woke up at 9AM. This week I have 3 classes: Wednesday night, Friday night and Saturday day. Plus, I have Tae Kwon Do tonight and a trip to the dentist for a filling Thursday morning. On the up side, after this week I have 4 more classes left until graduation.

Sunday, I was on 128 North when I passed a car that was going about 40mph in the slow lane. This particular car had had trouble getting onto the highway and constantly braked on the on-ramp so merging was a treat. As I readied my special dirty look for clueless drivers who I am passing, I saw that the driver was A CLOWN: rainbow 'fro, frilly collar, and a big red smile. It's tough to accelerate in big red shoes, n'est-ce pas?

Friday, April 13, 2007

Job Interview

I had a job interview this morning for an assistant buyer position. I think it went well and I'll see if I hear back. The lady who interviewed me, obviously had her colors done since she has a Winter's coloring and was swathed with cool colors. Also, the office space is a nice calming teal blue.

My boss has encouraged me to see what's out there because he doesn't know how long there will be a need for me at my company. So, I'm taking his advice. Since I have settled on working in Purchasing/Operations, that can apply to many industries. The only downside is that I have 1.5 years of experience plus a soon-to-be given MBA - which completely over-qualifies me for entry level positions. I'm looking for comparable benefits, similar or better salary and an opportunity to grow.

Thursday, April 12, 2007

Good Day

Today is a good day for two reasons:
1. I finally figured out my thesis for my term paper (35% of my grade).
2. After two weeks away, I'm resuming Tae Kwon Do classes.

I had my marketing class last night and it went really well. Pig Face McAsshole didn't spend the entire class playing solitaire. He sits in the front row completely checked out of the class until the remaining half hour when he realizes he should get his participation grade up. Then he volunteers a totally off-topic or repeptive comment like he's handing down a pronouncement from God. Can you tell that I hate him? I like the class and feel like I'm learning a lot so that's probably why I find his behavior so offensive. I'm the type of student who doesn't pack up my stuff until the professor is done talking. This is how I roll (being a daughter of two professors).

I also had a nice chat with fabulous funny woman. She's graduating in May like me and we discussed how we've totally hit a "senior slump". Plus, she has the same time visual for post-graduation life!

After May 19, it's just air. One of the Asian students asked a question in class referring to "hip hop" but fabulous funny woman didn't understand the pronunciation. So, she turned to me with a quizzical look. After mouthing "hip hop" a couple times and receiving a blank look, I made gangster hand gestures. That got through to her and gave us giggle fits.

I have also heard from my Auto Insurance company regarding the personal injury lawsuit. Even my insurance agent thinks it's ridiculous and tells me that they'll fight it and the "injury" isn't life threatening. So, all my worrying about lawsuits, losing everything I have has disappeared. I'm learning how lying(the other driver) and corruption (the cop) can effect every aspect of your life.

Hopefully by midnight tonight, I will have a finished term paper. Wish me luck!

Wednesday, April 11, 2007

Richard Cheese Love

If you don't know who Richard Cheese is, go here. I first heard of him through the Stephanie Miller Show. They played his version of "Milkshake". This weekend I got his Apertif for Destruction album. My faves so far are his "Somebody Told Me" and "Welcome to the Jungle". He's kind of like a swinger version of Weird Al Yankovic. Also, the songs aren't for the kiddies (a bit blue).

Tuesday, April 10, 2007

America


My father and his family emigrated to America in 1951 after spending years as displaced persons due to WWII. I grew up hearing stories about the war and how the family settled into American life. The contrast between hearing that my daddy once was starving so badly he ate a jar of ants and seeing how happy and successful he and his brothers became made a huge impression on me. The war also made a huge impression on our household. We couldn't waste a scrap of food or money. Our bookshelves were packed with WWII books and if my dad had control of the remote, he usually landed on "Hogan's Heroes". If we were under hurricane watch or storm watch, we were okay - our dad survived WWII. I was convinced that during my lifetime, I'd see war come to America's shores. Since I only knew one type of war, I noticed places where I could hide my Jewish friends. Not all the family stories we were told were about triumph over the odds. We heard the stories full of heart ache, regret and disappointment.

As I was being teased in school for having a weird foreign name, I was learning at home what being an American meant. Our home wasn't 100% English speaking but I did learn the words for candy and ice cream pretty darn quick! My life was full of odd contrasts. I missed the whole "Dirty Dancing" craze because I spent the summer touring Europe with my family. That trip really opened my eyes to what my life could have been if my father hadn't emigrated. I saw Russian tanks and a soldier with a AK47 went through my suitcase. Even though we weren't rich in America, we were millionaires to our European family. It was the first time I ever felt shame over having something. I was amazed how warmly we were greeted just because we were family. Also, the card game War transcends borders and language barriers.

Even though I had traveled through a country where I wouldn't be teased over my name, I never felt a yearning or wistfulness. I am American. I am an American who wouldn't exist without this country's generosity. I am an American who grew up hearing stories about how my life could have been if it wasn't for America. I am an American who smiles when she overhears a foreign language spoken because it reminds her of her childhood, surrounded by many languages. I am an American who sometimes gets disillusioned or angry about the direction the country is going. I am an American who was brought to tears by the Abu Ghraib photos. I am an American because this country gave entire generations of emigrants a chance to rise up and work toward their dreams. That dream will never die because we are all Americans and we have work to do.

From the Depths of Hell I Stab at Thee...Sally Hansen


I cannot estimate the amount of money I have wasted in my lifetime on Sally Hansen "hair removal" products. That is in quotes because basically you remove skin and there might be a hair follicle attached.

Lavender spa creme facial wand - just irritates skin and doesn't remove a hair.

No heat gel wax strips - If you like sticky body parts, shredded pink tissue paper and a hairy body this is the product for you.

No-heat gel roll-on hair remover - it burns, it burns. Basically napalm.

Creme hair bleach - you get your own mini chemistry kit to mix the bleach.

I think I get sucked in because the woman they use on the product art has my coloring. I've been having body hair woes lately to the point that I will have to get another laser treatment. The treatment costs $250 and if there is a viable over the counter option, I will be there.

The Ruination of Motown

"Sugar pie, honey bunch, you know I love you" when I hear that on the radio, I think about brownies. I know selling music rights to commercials is an easy way to make a buck but why ruin an entire musical genre? My chorus is singing "I Heard it Through the Grapevine" and I loathe it because I have claymation raisins dancing in my head. Maybe the ruination of Motown can be traced back to how the genre was managed back in the day? Making a buck off of an old act sounds like the perfect MO of a manager or record exec. It could also be racism in sheep's clothing.

The Games We Played

My brother and I had 3 themes for the games we played when we were little. The theme that my brother hated was "Family". I arranged our dolls and action figures into families and had them interact. Usually Rainbow Brite was a mom. We also played "Mermaids" where we put socks on the ends of our dolls and had my brother's bed be the island. This game didn't last long because our arms got tired from all the air swimming. The final theme was the longest running and most successful, "Spaceship". We'd connect all my brother's furniture with planks to make the spaceship. The bed was the bridge and we always had a bar with Snoopy as the bartender (I blame Star Trek or our budding alcoholic tendencies). Super Pickle usually was the captain. We had these cardboard bricks that we half took apart for spacecraft. I can't really remember who was the enemy but I always liked having a regular pilot go rogue - either Buddy Blue or Red Butler.

Of course we played with Star Wars action figures. We had the B-wing ship, Dagobah complete with foam swamp, and Endor speeders. The speeders had a button that made them come apart and over time the button got so sensitive, the speeder couldn't stay together. We also had C3PO with removable limbs. Of course we lost a leg. One time we heard a rumor that there was an Anakin Skywalker action figure under the helmet and robe on the Imperial Guard action figure. It wasn't true but we tried our hardest to rip that action figure apart. We were practical children so if we had a damaged toy, that could act as carnage for battle scenes.

Monday, April 09, 2007

One Exhausted Jew

My conversion Friday went fine. The part that got me the most nervous was the Beit Din but it wasn't too bad. It was just the unknown and the power the 3 rabbis had that freaked me out. The mikveh was wonderful and relaxing. Oddly enough, getting naked in front of a stranger didn't worry me or freak me out. My family took me out for lunch after the ceremonies. Since my emotions had been run through a gamut, I crashed back at my place. No Shabbat service, just me prostrate on the sofa listlessly flipping through TV stations.

Saturday I slept in, skipping Tae Kwon Do. The day was occupied with cooking for a seder meal. I found out that certain grocery store chains are better than others for Passover shopping. Shaws kicks ass. Hannaford stinks. Also, if you want a lamb shankbone, pick it up the first couple days of Passover because butcheries run out. I made a London broil, matza ball soup, latkes and grilled veggies for the post-Seder meal. I was only cooking for 3 and I was completely frantic/exhausted. My mom came through on the shankbone. My charoset was pretty darn delicious. The matza ball soup was the yummiest thing I had ever eaten.

Sunday, I slept in again and spent most of the day doing homework. I have 7 classes left and 5 deliverables due before I graduate: 3 papers and 2 presentations. I finished one paper but I have a 10 page paper due next Wednesday and I have no thesis. I know I want to say something about global culture and brand marketing. But what? Ugh! This is what I'm going to be working on for the next week.

Thursday, April 05, 2007

Thursday Frustrations

I had a teeth cleaning today with my new dentist - who I love. I like him because he patiently answers my questions with a hint of humor. So, I have been loving plackers for months, lo and behold they lack a key action that regular floss possesses. Plackers don't wrap around the tooth root therefore it doesn't clean out your gums. Long story short, my gums are a complete mess. Plus, I have 3 old fillings that are falling out. It turns out April will be a toothy month for me (at least I'll get a day off from work).

Another frustration today is that I got a message from my insurance agency. Remember this accident? The liability has been determined to be 50/50 - which is complete BS but I'll take what I can get. The message today informed me that the other party is claiming injury - OVER A MONTH LATER! This is why it would have been oh so helpful for Officer Pratt to file a police report. The accident simply won't die.

Wednesday, April 04, 2007

T-Minus 2 Days

I didn't realize the irony of picking Good Friday as the date for my conversion. So in two days, I will go to the mikveh, appear before the Beit Din, sign a conversion document and will ritually immerse myself. Afterwards, there will be a little ceremony at my temple where I can hold the Torah scroll.

I like the fact that I'm coverting during Passover since I'm munching on matza for a week, there's no way not to feel like a "real Jew". I've practiced how to sign my Hebrew name: Miriam ben Avram v'Sarah.

Monday night, I went to a Passover seder by the same family who hosted me last year. Since I was familiar with the ritual and people, I felt nice and relaxed. The sons are both college aged and are pretty funny. One son explained a half conversation he heard that day. One of his room-mates was explaining a seder to a friend. The son left for a bit and when he returned the friend observed, "So, by the end of the night, you're completely smashed?" Ha! Speaking of, I am hosting my first seder Saturday night. I have the menu planned out. I picked this excellent Haggadah. Hopefully, my charoset will be delicious. I got a great dessert idea from Monday's seder.

How do I feel that I will be a Jew in two days? I'm alternating between feeling overwhelmed and feeling complete. It's kind of like how I felt after my first Shabbat service. I got a glimpse of an entire new aspect of life that I needed to learn and was unfamiliar with. And yet, something deep inside of me felt so at home and yearned for more. Also, something felt oddly familiar (my theory is that my genes are willing out). It's like when I'm at service I am in a cocoon of stillness that can only radiate love. So, basically I am very happy and excited to be a Jew, to finally "come home" spiritually.

Shopping Anxiety Attack

There is one aisle that I avoid when grocery shopping. If I need to get something, I will quickly grab my product and leave. What is this aisle? It's the cereal aisle. I cannot deal with the amount of choices. Even if I try to scope out the cereal boxes methodically, I end up being overwhelmed and feeling dizzy. I call it the Cereal Aisle Effect even though it doesn't only pertain to cereal aisles nowadays. It also effects the makeup aisle in CVS.

Monday, April 02, 2007

Tae Kwon Do Testing Results

I'm a yellow belt! Here is the progression of belts I can look forward to.

How to Tell If a Course Will Be Lousy

- The assigned reading material is full of typos to the point that entire sentences are missing subjects.

- The handouts are full of typos as well.

- The professor uses overheads and powerpoint with a laser pointer.

- The professor declares in the beginning of class that he likes Socratic discussion and never shuts up to allow the students to discuss.

- Doesn't answer students' questions. Listens to maybe the first 3 words out of a students mouth.

- Mentions how he used to be a big thing at the college and now he's on his way out (retirement).

This is what I endured Friday from 6:30 to 9PM and Saturday from 9 to 3PM. I have one more class to look forward to on April 21 from 9 to 3PM. Luckily, the subject matter is cake and the course is only 1.5 credits. Also, did I mention that I'm graduating May 19?