The Memorable Emotion of Hunger

2006-10-17T13:46:00.000-07:00

Friday the 13th came late this year.

This is what I get for bragging that Friday the 13th has always been a lucky day for my family. It's called Karma. In the last 24 hours (in no particular order)

- I forgot about a piece of chocolate I had placed in my pocket only to discover the melted mess when I shoved my hand into the pocket much later, looking for my drivers license that I had apparently left in the bathroom

- Had my homemade lotion (yes, I mixed it myself!) as well as a mini bottle of mandarin vodka confiscated from me because I forgot to pack it in a ziplock bag (it made it to KS in the first place! must be safe.)

- Got my period (sorry if this is tmi, but it's just another thing to add to the list)

- Had my luggage LOST by the airport

- Had to wake up earlier than normal in order to get a cavity filled

- Spilled fruit punch all over my jacket because there was no place to sit in the food court so I had to bring my lunch back to the office

- Had to cancel a very hot date so that I can get my bag back! (This was one of the saddest of all!)

- Realized the sweater I'm wearing today has a HUGE hole in the armpit

There's more, but let's change directions...

In the last 24 hours:

I learned that our Assistants Retreat is tomorrow (free food ALL DAY LONG as well as getting to wear jeans and talk about whatever we want without it getting back to our bosses. Oh yeah, and not having to do real work!)

found out that I did not have to pay for the filling, so I saved $55!

got an email from a random friend about taking a bike ride together (I'm constantly looking for more people to go on bike rides with me before the weather gets too cold)

got my luggage delivered to my good friend's place, and realizing that canceling a date to watch season 2 of 24 with good friend to say thanks is not such a bad thing (sorry, no names, but feel free to inquire within)

realized I get to go on a hayride this saturday night! weeee.

time to peace out and give my assistants projects to work on for tomorrow! I'm glad this rainy day is coming to an end. Now I'm just hoping my date will be free tomorrow! cross your fingers!

2006-09-26T07:18:00.000-07:00

On my way into the building this morning, I spotted a girl with an Athletic Penn windbreaker. What sport did she play, you ask? Dancesport! Because as we all know, it's only a real sport if the word "sport" is in the name. Who knew that ballroom dancing could be so hardcore? No one, because that statement is false.

Another strange occurrence happened early this morning. I was heading out to hand some files off to Joey (see below) and a man was sitting on the bench outside my area. He definitely looked me up and down as I walked past him and almost seemed to be taking notes. I think he even checked out my shoes! In the past, the Dean has heard comments from other people in our building (the President of the university works a floor above us along with the Provost) about how our staff is not well dressed enough. I feel like this guy was a spy. Good thing I had just changed out of my flip flops and into my sexy heels! Take THAT mister spy-man, sir. I mean, pig.

Joey is a very sweet man who really helps me out with this out-of-date database that I work with. In fact, he's the ONLY other staff member who can help me with it and not make me look incompetent in front of Doris when it comes to working with it. (Even though she honestly has no clue how to even open the program.) I thought he was so nice to be so helpful, so a few months ago, I started hugging him when I was really grateful, or even just to say hello because he was so happy about it. Then I saw that he was, well, really happy about it, so I pulled away. I felt bad 'cause I think he noticed I became much more distant with him, but I think it worked overall. Then of course this morning I had to go directly to his space, and as I stood next to him, he put his arm around me. Not terrible, I know! But still, I felt sketched out. I know he means no harm, but still, I can't wait to get out of here.

I'm done with my observations of the morning.

2006-09-24T19:50:00.000-07:00

The theme of this weekend was disappointment. I tried to keep a positive attitude the whole time, and almost succeeded, but ultimately it overcame me and I am upset. There are certain situations when you can't really do anything about your disappointment except let it go when you're ready. I'm not, but hopefully I will be in the morning.

2006-08-30T10:36:00.000-07:00

I forgot to post about the music I've been in love with lately!

I'm just going to list them for now, and perhaps elaborate more later:

Sparklehorse - LOVE it. Very relaxing and chill. Thanks to Mike for sending this my way.

Clap Your Hands Say Yeah - whole album is great, I wish I had seen them in concert

Pieces of April Soundtrack - bought this back in May, one of the few albums I can really listen to over and over again and never get bored of it

Phoenix (their newest album) - I learned about them by going to a free concert at World Cafe Live and it was the best thing I've done recently! The lead singer is Parisian and HOTT (those are mutually exclusive)

I like the song Brother Down by Sam Roberts and discovered it through my Launchcast radio station. I also like Mandolin Strum by REM but can't seem to find it anywhere.

Oh, Flaming Lips! Like their newest album too. And Bob Marley and the Wailers has been on my playlist a lot at work.

I finally started writing down the story of how I found an answer to "what do you want to be when you grow up?" for grad school apps. I'll need help editing, so if you'd like to lend a helping hand, please let me know!

2006-08-30T08:29:00.000-07:00

So, it's been a while. I'll try to be better, I promise!

Anyway, check this out:

http://www.qwantz.com/posterchild/

I'd love to do this in Philly if anyone wants to go in on it with me. Yeah? Alright.

I still haven't forgotten about my awesome mural idea. I even have a stack of CDs at my desk to keep me thinking about it. One day I will make a prototype. I'm thinking... John Legend? Particularly because he's contemporary, and that would work well with the CD's. I guess he would work better if he were actually from Philadelphia, or at least the state of Pennsylvania and not, say, Ohio. (Thank you, wikipedia!)

I'm trying to think of my big life updates and put them into a reader's digest form for your viewing pleasure.

A la Project Runway, my roommate Tara is OUT,(I just like the way she says that) and my friend Anna has taken her place. The apartment has undergone a gigantic transformation and I'm falling in love with it all over again! We have a beautiful living room with hardwood floors, actual seating space, and a newly created reading nook. Our kitchen is actually stocked with tools, and both our fridge/freezer now actually have space for food! Oh yeah, and I have a NEW roommate! Anna is great to live with, and we all feel very at peace with each other and excited for the coming year. Expect dinner parties, craft parties, movie nights, etc.

I will soon reach the 1 year anniversary for my job. Lots of drama has been brewing with all the new people hired. I like most of the new people, but I still don't feel any extra special connections with them. Fine for happy hour, but no one I'd just call on a Saturday afternoon to meet up for coffee. That's ok, though. I've heard that that's probably a good level of connection to have with coworkers? Either way, I'm ready to move on to something new (hopefully grad school?). The time off was the best thing for me, and just as I predicted, 2 years was just enough for me to really appreciate going back.

Hrmm, what else? Oh, its lunch time! Ok, off I go!

2006-08-09T14:03:00.000-07:00

I just want to say I think it's pretty funny how many people do not know how to work an office phone and how scared people are of this suspicious creature.

I know I acted the same when I started, but it's funny to see multiple people going through it at once. "So, I just...pick up the phone?"

Yes. Exactly. When it rings, you pick it up.

That is all.

Oh, and it'll be a while before I go over the two drink limit again. My Dunkin Donuts breakfast clearly did not do the trick to a quick recovery.

2006-08-07T20:22:00.000-07:00

a quote before I forget:

Lauren: "I'm too lazy to pull down my pants."

(in reference to using a public restroom or waiting until we got home)

Also, I had some very interesting and incredibly vivid dreams this past weekend.

Let's see... the first night I remember a friend of mine was meeting up with his family, and his mother was the grandmother from Arrested Development. I asked where they were going (they were all dressed up) and they said they were going to the synagogue and assumed I was coming with them. At first I thought "why would they assume that?" but then I realized it's because I'm jewish. Oh yeah.

Anyway, when we got there, the synagogue was having a greek festival of sorts? but then I had caesar salad. Weird. Another dream later in the night involved me wanting to skip out of a calculus course and running into one of my best friends. He said he was going to propose to his girlfriend. Hooray!

The next night I dreamt that I kissed this guy I know. I never would have thought about it in real life but in the dream it was really good. Hrmmmm.

And finally, that same night I dreamt that I was visiting my brother and Brenda at the hospital. Sammy was being looked at by a doctor (everything was ok, it was a standard check-up or something), and while we waited, we sat in this booth. I guess it had been a while since I'd seen the family because my brother wanted me to see/hold my niece. I picked her up, and she was at least 18 months to two years, with lots of curly blonde hair. There was a pause as my brother tried to coax her to do something he'd taught her, and she looked up at me and said in her little baby voice, "My name is Sylvia and I am cool." My brother and I laughed and I was excited that that was one of the first things she knew how to say.

When I called my brother and told him about the dream, he suggested it was my inner child. I DID have blonde hair when I was young...maybe he's onto something. That is something I'd say anyway.

Back to work I go!

2006-08-06T21:52:00.000-07:00

It feels good to have someone listen and say "I understand." And you know they do.

Coming from someone who usually feels that it's not true, that people DON'T understand, I can happily say how content I am to know that I am indeed not alone in my views on life, people, etc. I may not fit into any pigeonholes, square pegs or the normal box, but there are others out there who appreciate me for that very reason.

2006-08-06T19:34:00.000-07:00

So I haven't posted in a while. I'm trying to think of what you missed.

Upon arriving back in Philly, I crammed for and took the GRE's. I'm glad they are over, and that's all I really want to say on here. It wasn't bad studying again, though. I actually kind of liked it. Particularly the vocab. Who knows, some time in the future I might get nerdy and learn new words every now and then just for the fun of it.

After that, I drove up to north Jersey to hang out with a friend. It was nice to be in suburbia. In the summertime especially, I like to enjoy just sitting out on the grass by the pool and enjoying the slower pace.

This past week was pretty busy in terms of having one of my favorite bands and fabulous 4-some, Distance to Empty, stop through Philadelphia. The dynamic between Kyle, Curtis, Ryan and Bo is something I truly envy and adore being around. As much as I worry about making sure all their needs are cared for, I really do miss them all terribly when they're gone. It's also nice that I really do love their music. Seeing them perform live is always a joyful experience that I only get from seeing friends perform.

I was just about to talk about the foul mood I am in and how much I adore the concept of third wheel (said sarcastically) but fortunately my great roommate just got home so off I go!

2006-07-20T21:03:00.000-07:00

Another update from Kansas. This trip has really helped me to relax in ways that I thought I already had this year, but am now realizing I hadn't. Did that make sense?

I was just about to dig deep personally, but I'm not going to go to that place on here. Ask me and I'll tell you what you want to know.

Anyway, while I haven't studied as much as I could be, I do feel better about the GRE, having reviewed the math section for the past couple days. Tomorrow: practice test! it WILL happen!

In other news, my time in KC was well spent. Hooters was disappointing in terms of excitement but the company was all I really needed. Worlds of Fun was a blast, I love the new rides! Although the Spinning Dragon definitely did me in for the evening, I bow down to it and give it my full respect. Coming from someone who adores roller coasters/amusement parks in general, that should mean something.

I think the best thing about my trips home is that I always use the time to reflect and grow. The time I spend alone while home never feels lonely or suffocating or awkward. I know a lot of this also comes from the fact that I'm staying with family and the fact that I'm on vacation, but I'm hoping I can take the attitude with me on my return to Philadelphia.

Anyway! two new amusing phrases I will be repeating for a while: Christ on crutches! (Must remember to ask Andy for the song that comes from) and from my beloved Wondershowzen:

kid doing impression of old man at the racetrack: gamble, gamble, gamble, DIE!

ok, so you have to see it. Get to it!

Oh, and I bought underwear from the Gap for 97 cents! (Psst. it's blue!) Gotta love a sidewalk sale in 100+ degree weather!

2006-07-17T09:12:00.000-07:00

An update from home:

Reporting from my third home: Lawrence, KS. (My first being the house that is now owned by someone else in Fairway and the other, of course, being Philadelphia.)

It's very different having home base 40 minutes away from where it has always been in the past, but being around my baby nephew makes up for it. I always forget how relaxing Kansas can be. Everything moves at a slower pace, and when I'm only here for vacation (as opposed to living here full time), well, I quite like it. Part of me wishes I had taken vacation time to travel somewhere I'd never been, but I'm getting most of what I wanted right here. Yesterday I played in the pool, I've had great food (and way too much of it), I've had good company, what more can you ask for? I'm sure I can think of things, but let's not go down that path.

Anyway, just the update that I'm alive and well. I'm looking forward to my few days in KC and the fun times that will follow. Hopefully I can get in some quality study time today, though I would much prefer to sit out by the pool and read for fun. Hmm, the angel and devil are on my shoulders now. Good company, indeed!

2006-07-13T15:35:00.000-07:00

I can't get over what a productive day this has been! Who knew calling in sick would make me feel so good?

Things I accomplished today:

Hand washing clothes! (I thought I'd detest it but it was actually not bad at all.)

Changing my primary care provider, so now if I want to see a doctor, I can just make an appointment with a woman I've heard good things about.

Going with Anna to renew our lease, with her name on it. Hooray! It's official, Anna will move in no later than September 1st. I cannot WAIT to redecorate and just have a more positive living environment.

Got a Pennsylvania drivers license, thus voiding my beloved Kansas ID. =( Sadness! But, I know its for the best. My picture is not bad considering how humid/gross it is outside and how I forgot to put effort into getting ready this morning.

In addition, I got the process started on registering my car with PA tags. Its a long, complicated process which was made even more complicated by me leaving both my cell phone and sheet o' "important numbers" at home. whoops. But! Never fear, all is well, or will be in a matter of weeks.

Anna and I even managed to sneak in a (albeit very quick) Target run.

After all that, I dropped her off and stopped off at the post office to mail one mix cd and one textbook.

I even had time to stop off at a few stores on the way back.

And now I'm off to a Guster concert! peace

2006-07-11T13:03:00.000-07:00

Just a small update of good songs I've heard today on my launch radio station (yay yahoo? never thought I'd say that!)

Bjork's Joga and REM's Mandolin Strum (apparently a "Non-Album Track")

As part of a mix CD circle I'm taking part in, I received my first mix CD from someone in Chicago. The whole project is very interesting in terms of listening to music picked out by people I don't know. I do like a couple songs off this first CD but I'm not in love with the mix as a whole. I wonder how many people will receive my mix and write the same phrase on their blogs/diaries/brains.

Bowling tonight! I can't believe how rarely I go nowadays. It was one of my favorite activities growing up. I guess that's one of the sacrifices of living in a city.

Everyone in the office has begun asking me questions about Yom Kippur and other things "jewish". This is hilarious on different levels. On one hand, I'm one of the two jewish people in the office, so I guess that leaves me as one to represent. On the other hand, I'm probably not the greatest authority on the topic. My coworker from Thailand knows far more than I do and has even dated more Jews than me. Oh well, it's nice to be needed. Because of all this talk on the high holy days, I just found out that the eve of Yom Kippur lands on the night of my birthday. Part of me wants to whine and say "but I love birthday cake! oh well, no one will notice, right?" However, I'm the one who actually cares about Yom Kippur and chooses to fast for the holiday. It is one of the few times I stop and take the time to remember my dad as well as evaluating my actions of the last year and plan for the future. I guess my birthday is as good a day as any to stop, reflect, and atone.

Did it have to start on a Saturday night, though? ;)

2006-07-10T07:57:00.000-07:00

Exciting!

A year ago a friend let me keep a mix CD her boss had given her. I have to say it is my favorite mix as it introduced me to 17 songs, wait, 16 (I knew one of them beforehand) songs that I love. The problem is that the CD never came with a song list, so I never really knew the names of the songs or even the artists that I was listening to on repeat. As the months of the past year have flown by, I have slowly started to match each song with its parents: the name and artist. This morning as I finally got my customized (today's oh so trendy concept) radio station to work on my office computer, one of the songs came on! My heart was all a flutter as I realized that I have now found another piece of the puzzle. Apparently I really like Modest Mouse. I know it seems silly, but being able to put my finger on what was a mystery is a very satisfying feeling! Thank you, launch radio. You are not as skilled as many friends of mine in introducing me to new music, but you seem to know what I like and that's good enough for me on a slow summer day.

2006-07-09T19:27:00.000-07:00

This weekend was incredibly eventful and uneventful at the same time. Although I wasn't able to see most of the people that I had tried calling in advance, I did run into a girl from high school who was pretty cool, so yay! I love random run-ins/coincidences. Sometimes I wonder who I'll stop recognizing or whether people will stop recognizing me. I guess that time has not yet come.

At a party I attended on Saturday, there was a girl who was quite annoying who felt it necessary to tell everyone that she was about to start her period. She was actually very friendly and I felt bad for her because she didn't know just how annoying she was. Bad enough that I held back when she said "enjoy your night!" as she left. I really wanted to shout back, "Enjoy your period!" But I didn't. I did, however, think I was incredibly clever and laughed about it for 10 straight minutes. I'm glad to know that in times of need, I need only myself for amusement.

What else? The weekend was in fact fun overall, for the right reasons - the company. That's how it should be. In the end, it wouldn't have mattered what city we were in, and that's what good friends are about.

Wow this entry might not be as entertaining for the rest of you as it is for me. Just had to get the important things down.

2006-07-07T18:13:00.000-07:00

whoops!

I texted my friend Blake today to let him know I was going to be in his town for the weekend and asking if he'd like to meet up since it has been almost a full year since the last time we spent time with each other. I figured it'd be safe to call him as well since he may not recognize my phone number and wonder who the message was from. Well, I called and according to the voicemail message, Mark isn't around right now but he'll call me back! Mark?! Who the hell is Mark and what has he done with Blake? Unfortunately I have no other way of getting Blake's new phone number. Well, people always say it's a small world, so maybe I will run into him just like I did in KC last year. (It was strange, neither of us knew the other would be in town; we had both just happened to quit our jobs and return home for a break before starting new jobs. It's also rare to run into people in KC period since there are very few places to walk around. I heart the Plaza!)

Blake, if you're out there, I hope to see you!

2006-07-06T06:37:00.000-07:00

Dreamy?

My dream was very intense last night. One of those dreams where you wake up exhausted, and not because you went to bed late (because I didn't) but because you were involved in the dream. Are you getting this? Anyway... I was participating in some musical theatre (because isn't that what I'm always doing?) but my part was not that of acting or singing, but of special effects. I was to stand in the highest balcony and shoot a gun at the evil villain while he was dancing with the star. (I'm assuming here that the bullet was a blank). I remember the gun (a revolver?) being extremely heavy and for some reason I had to shoot it with one hand. I was having difficulty getting a clear shot of the guy (who I'm pretty sure was a coworker of mine who I have no ill-feelings towards) because he kept bringing the girl close to him and I didn't want to hit her. Anyway, BAM! I look down and see that I have shot a GIANT hole in the bottom of the stage, and everyone has to clear out of the theatre as the show ends prematurely. Whoops. But the bullet was blank? I stood in the balcony for a long time afterwards taking a look at the set, noticing that it was actually incredibly beautiful. The show was not South Pacific, but Fun Pacific, a Disney version. (Where this material comes from, I just don't know, folks.) My friend Ed was standing by with me when we decided to head out, and I'm pretty sure Walt Disney was there in the flesh to greet us and tell us not to worry about the damaged stage. Whew! I still felt guilty when I woke up. I'm guessing that's due to the fact that I slept past my alarm more than anything else, but who knows.

Interpretations?

In other news, I stole a pair of panties last night! Well, I don't know if you'd call this stealing or not. I checked our mail box last night and found a bright-colored brochure from Victoria Secret addressed to someone who doesn't live at our address (the address was correct for our box). I looked inside and there it was: a coupon for a FREE pair of panties! Off I went with the small piece of pink cardstock and arrived at the store just before they closed. The saleslady was very helpful, explaining that I could only pick a pair that was either black, white, or pink from the PINK line. (Do you know what I chose?) Anyway, they packed up my one little "panty" (I actually dislike the word panty/panties very much) and off I went, walking the streets of Philadelphia with the smallest shopping bag to carry the smallest purchase. Did I steal Christina's free pair of underwear? Underwear she might have been desperate for? What about my other two roommates who didn't get to the mail in time? I call this a victory point for me! I don't know who you are Christina, who apparently shops at Victoria Secret, but thank you for your panties.

And finally, I'm listening to a CD sent in by a student who composed his own pieces. I know the music was not meant for me, but I'll keep it anyway to preserve the memory of his effort.

2006-07-02T19:10:00.000-07:00

Field trip!

Today I ventured out to Franklin Mills for an outlet mall adventure. I would just like to point out one funny quirk because it always amuses me. Somewhere along the yellow loop (there are several loops that all look alike, yet are differentiated by their particular color zone), there is a cute pet store where you can see plenty of bunnies, puppies, and other heart-melting creatures. I love walking by the store for two reasons: lots of cute animals, and even more cute kids drooling after said animals. I mean, yay for babies! Anyway, within the very store is also a section where you can build a bear (or monkey, or other fun creature). As a window-shopper in this area, I notice that one window displays two cages of bunnies while the other displays the stuffing machine of the build-a-bear department.

Does this strike anyone else as odd, or in the very least, potentially traumatizing for children? I mean, one side of the store has live fuzzy animals, and on the other side of the store, you can make them yourself and see them from the inside out! Maybe I'm not giving small children enough credit here, but I feel like that would have creeped me out as a 5-year-old. I'm just putting this out there on the table...

In other Frankling Mills-related news, Jamie almost lost her wallet. It turns out it fell out of her purse at a store called Easy Pickin's and someone turned it in to the cashier. She said she feared that the name of the store had been prophetic. hehe. I give Jamie a gold star for that!

this is a test

2006-06-30T11:14:00.000-07:00

Can we see this link? http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/13509704/

Sadness for the children!

2006-06-27T07:12:00.000-07:00

Happiness is....?

This morning I discovered that I now have Flash installed on my computer at work. Pandora's box has been opened and I am celebrating! You tube, you are MINE. Why did this happen right before the performance review? Well, it could be a test from above, but I think those who sit on their thrones are oblivious to the power they've bestowed upon me. *insert evil grin here*

Those from above also decided to send me a special gift in an envelope marked "CONFIDENTIAL." Turns out, I get a RAISE! a 4% raise! Why am I not as excited about this as I am about Flash/Youtube? The new salary is actually the amount I thought I was already making...no words can express the face (and gesture) I'm making now. I'll let you imagine.

Oh well! I'm off to explore all that Flash has been hiding from me. Wheee!

2006-06-26T12:33:00.000-07:00

Let's get started!

I was walking down our smaller, imitation version of MIT's infinite mile in our office (it's really not that long but just go with it here) and ran right into the Dean. (He doesn't need a name, he's that powerful.) Knowing that he prefers womens' hair to be down and that I prefer to be in his good graces, I almost reached up for my pony tail holder and yanked out my bun in a very sensual manner. Fortunately, I quickly realized that this would both look and feel ridiculous and just flashed a nice smile. I'm glad I at least dressed appropriately today. However, I think he spotted me hugging a coworker. Ah well, I'll never fit in the world of formality, but at least people will know I'm friendly.

In other news, I still have not related my wonderful heart-pillow tale.

I will soon.

Ooh, what a tease!

2006-06-22T13:14:00.000-07:00

Before I do anything else, I must give credit for the title to Ryan North, cartoonist for Dinosaur Comics.

Go here! --> www.qwantz.com

If you want to know who I am, or what makes me smile, read these.

In other news, hello! Welcome to my story.