11/28/07

* I'm not sure yet what I've learned from this because I'm still laughing about it:
I was on the phone not paying much attention when I was pulled over tonight after work for speeding. After the officer gave me a bit of a hard time for not having my current address on my license (updated it online -- no worries, folks), he asked me how long it'd been since I'd gotten a ticket. When I told him a long time, since I was 16 or 17, he asked if I wanted "a ticket or a written warning this evening." I said, "You know, I would love a written warning." He said he'd make sure my license was valid, give me a written warning and get me "on out of here." A (very cold) while later, he comes back to my window and asks if I know that my license is suspended. (Getting panicked) "Uhm. No..."
"Ha! Nah, I'm just kiddin'," he says. "Here's your license and insurance back. And here's your written warning. Do whatever you want with it. Take it home. Throw it away. Whatever, I don't care. Now you have a good night."

11/26/07

* I started my first "blog" on Xanga on April 28, 2004. Like everyone else who hadn't yet taken time to fully understand the purpose or possible consequences of keeping a public, online journal, I poured my heart out almost every day. Let me tell you, few things are as entertaining as going back one, two, three, even four years to read what you've written, how you've felt, how dramatic everything was, and see how much you've changed (and, of course, how much you've stayed the same).
* I don't understand why cats nibble. It's weird. It's annoying. I can't make it stop.
* I read today that a friend of a friend said, "I'm getting to the point where I can't find desire in anything casual." He went on to talk about how he couldn't see investing in something he knew for sure wouldn't last. That sentiment seems to be popping up in a lot of places a from a lot of people in a lot of different situations lately. I think it's a great point. It reinforces valuing your time and being careful not to waste it. It also points out that we're getting to old to mess around with -- or screw up -- aspects of our lives that could someday be very important. Can you think of a more terrifying thought? I certainly can't.

11/25/07

* I have to admit that I get a pretty giddy when people tell me they actually read my nonsense. Then again, it's never taken much. Regardless, thanks.
* A 19-year-old woman in Saudi Arabia was sentenced to jail time and lashings after she was gang raped by several men because she "invited the attack" by being partially undressed while with her lover in his car. I'm constantly amazed at the differences in cultures.
* After watching a day's worth of interior-design shows on TV, I started to wonder how a person's occupation changes them. Or if certain types of people are more drawn to certain careers. Designers, for the most part, seem to be concerned with making the customer happy. They want to follow directions and learn their personalities to design a room that best fits them individually. As journalists, it's partially our job to disregard what people will think. Not from a customer service standpoint, of course. But being objective means saying and doing what needs to be said and done in what we see as the best interest of readers without much care for how people will feel about it. Then I started to think about the "kind" of people journalists seem to be versus the "kind" of people I was watching on TV. Granted, those specific designers are cultivated to be more showy for the screen, but I'd imagine the idea is similar. Were those people "people pleasers" before they went into design? Or did they start weighing others' opinions over their own artistic expressions after they realized what the business entails? Similar in journalism. I've met my share of jaded, cynical veterans of the industry. But I can't help but wonder whether they came into it like that or whether they once could have been suited for something more ...friendly?
* I believe people often philosophize to keep their minds off their own, personal worries.
* Doing what makes you happy isn't always (dare I say rarely?) doing what's rational.

11/21/07

* A lot of people have been buzzing about the SJ-R resignations. What's going to happen? Why are they leaving? Does this mean trouble for journalism other places? Well, I don't have the answers. In fact, I probably know less than many. But what I knew going into this profession was that it's a rough time across the board. People say newspapers are dying. I don't think that's true. I think they are evolving, yes, which normally would be a great thing. However, no one really knows how to handle this evolution, so they're making it up as they go along. It's trial and error. Sometimes the plan works; sometimes it doesn't. Things are always changing, and nothing is ever nailed down. But I guess most industries are like that in their own ways. The point is, I don't see the use in worrying about it. If things go bad, they go bad. There's nothing lil' ol' copy editor me can do about it, and that's ok because I wouldn't know where to start anyway. If it all goes under, I'll pack up a few of my things, move to Paris, and work in the American diner with that crazy art student. I would be 100 percent ok with that. And you're more than welcome to join.

11/20/07

* The wood from the Christmas tree at Rockefeller Center is chopped up and used to build Habitat for Humanity homes after the holidays.
* Try to remember people. You never know when or in what capacity you'll run into them again.
* Scientists have figured out how to create stem cells from human skin instead of embryos.
* The publisher, editor and managing editor of The State Journal-Register in Springfield announced their resignations today. That's not nerve-wracking or anything.

11/18/07

* Cats can get in and out of cabinets. Who knew?
* The past few days have been bizarre (not to be confused with bazaar). There's no other way to say it.

11/17/07

* Content doesn't always mean complacent and happy doesn't always mean exciting.
* In many cases, you can't change a situation. You can't control what other people think or do. You'll be happier if you take things for what they are ...whatever that might be.
* Mushrooms are 90 percent water.
* Even cat medicine is pricey.

11/13/07

* Spend time with people who want to spend time with you.
* The stupid feeling you might get asking questions is far outweighed by the reward, whether it be learning something about someone else, starting a good conversation or just getting a simple answer.
* I'm looking for someone who's interested in dressing up for no good reason, assuming a made-up identity, and going to see "Phantom of the Opera." Let me know.

11/12/07

* Soundboards aren't as complicated as they look.
* Meijer gas stations are prepay only from 11 p.m. to 7 a.m., and you can't use credit cards at the service window (which makes no sense, but whatever).
* Maybe it's naive, but I think if you want something badly enough, you can work around just about anything.

11/11/07

* People are what make birthdays great. Thank you so much.

11/10/07

* Sometimes you really have to work for your weekend. Even when the weekend is just Sunday.
* The problem with trying to define yourself is that you'll change.
* Actions are no indication of a person's true feelings. I have a hunch this doesn't change.

11/9/07

* Some people never change, and that's not always a bad thing.
* Soldering one's engagement and wedding rings together apparently is a normal thing to do.
* Emotions rarely make sense. Maybe that comes with being able to control them.
* "Seinfeld" will always be funny.
* It's amazing what a difference wall hangings can make.

11/8/07

Ok, ok. I'm working on my stickwithitness. Be patient.
* Very rarely -- dare I say never -- is any given situation a perfect one. Something always will taint it and leave just enough room for doubt and unhappiness if you allow those things to fill that space. Part of finding whatever it is that makes you happy is deciding which of those imperfect aspects you're willing to work with. Accept. Make better. Maybe even learn from.
* FIFA has a World Cup for beach soccer.
* I imagine everyone gets at least a little giddy at the thought of being something special, even in the smallest way.
* During the Cold War, the U.S. government actually likened the "everyday risk" associated with the atomic bomb with that of slipping on a bar of soap in the shower. The "duck and cover" routine -- which was aimed at small children with a cartoon turtle and catchy jingle, mind you -- also apparently was just an easy way to get people on the ground so to better scoop their bodies up. Oh, and fallout shelters often served as areas that "asphyxiated or incinerated" those inside.
* Cats have scent glands on the sides of their faces, so rubbing their whiskers on things is one way of marking their territory ...according to a volunteer at the animal shelter.
* Don't underestimate people with truly great conversation skills. You probably won't find many of them.
* Keep a dictionary around. Especially when you read. (I laughed at my English teachers, too, but I guess they knew a thing or two after all.)
* "We never get back our youth. The pulse of joy that beat in us at 20 becomes sluggish. Our limbs fail, our senses rot. We degenerate into hideous puppets, haunted by the memory of the passions of which we were too much afraid, and the exquisite temptations that we had not the courage to yield to."