12.01.09

• Wow, it's December. Yikes.

• I saw the above photo in a MySpace ad. It made me laugh. If you are at all familiar with the state of the newspaper biz these days, you might, too. (Yes, I know copy editors don't just work for newspapers.)

• I'm up to my ears in paperwork (and that's a lot, even for someone my height). I'm learning a lot. But right now, I'm more concerned with getting everything done correctly than turning those lessons around into something that resembles something insightful. This blog might have to take a wee hiatus... (To return bigger, better, and totally different than anything I've experienced thus far. Stay tuned!)

11.24.09

• Apologies for the hiatus. (Doesn't everyone take two to three weeks to celebrate their birthdays?)

• What is Mrs. Claus's first name? More importantly, when did Christmas start coming before Thanksgiving. Come on.

• Grits are ground hominy.

• Toni Basil ("Oh, Mickey, you're so fine. You're so fine you blow my mind ...") choreographed the "Legally Blonde" movies.

• I dig fonts, but I've never found myself anywhere near disgruntled over typography. You?

• Never underestimate the possibility for life to get more and more bizarre.

• There's an Eggo shortage. Seriously. And you thought layoffs and pay cuts were bad ...

• Oprah is putting an end to her talk show at the end of its 25th season (in 2011). She'll also take it out of syndication. I've always been of the opinion that she has a freakish amount of power above the level that any one person should ever have ... so I can't say I'm complaining. Although, I guess now would as good a time as any to ask for a handout.

• Let's talk about chivalry, shall we? Seems that there's a healthy discussion to be had here. Where's the line between polite and condescending? Anything creep you out? Is it sexist?

• This video of a soldier's dog welcoming him home is almost guaranteed to make you cry.

• Funny what it takes to make an endeavor feel "real." Funnier still are the mixed emotions that follow. Excitement. Nervousness. Satisfaction at hard work finally paying off. Sheer terror. Hold on tight; things are about to get very interesting ...

11.03.09

• Key West is apparently a crazy place to be, with the Chucky-esque doll and such.

• Happy November! Have a look at some dedicated pumpkin carvers if you're feeling reminiscent.

• To play music on the streets of Chicago, you must have a permit that costs $100.

• Chicago Tribune gears up for AP-less week. Think it'll work?

• Almost anything can be a good time with the right company. Try it. I dare you.

• NT$1 = USD$0.03

• Hedgehogs have an impeccable sense of smell and are illegal in some areas.

• Actually overheard at Iowa 80: The World's Largest Truckstop:
"Eh, there's no reason to sleep. Just keep on truckin'."

Places to go, people to meet, generally pleasantly overwhelmed with life. Happy Tuesday.

10.27.09

• Know your Mustangs? (Disregard the hidden bro shots. Arg.)

• Isn't it great when you hit a wall of clarity at full speed, and all of a sudden, everything makes perfect sense? Ahh ...

• Jillian Michaels is absolutely terrifying.

• I've been glued to the Logo Network about as often as the Travel Channel, Food Network and TLC. (They featured Elvira Kurt in a documentary; what's not to love?)

• "...when it comes to the important stuff, secrets damage relationships." That's a Ph.D. talking. Read the whole article once you've retrieved your jaw from the floor.

• I have a new found excitement for apple doughnuts. Mmm ...

• I also love cameos. And I'm not the only one.

• I know I've been raving about Wayne Coyne more often lately than... well, more often than I rave about anyone. But the more I read about him, the more fascinating he becomes. A couple of great quotes from an interview in next month's SPIN magazine:

"The idea that you just make the music and some guys set up all your stuff -- that works great for Thom Yorke," Coyne says. "But for me, everything we do up there is about us. From the dumb carpet we stand on to the video. I'd just be too frazzled if I wasn't up there making sure all these little things go right." ...

But as Coyne puts it, "I've always viewed this as part of the show. You're gonna see us set up our stuff, see exactly how this works. You are gonna know that this is not magic. And yet, when the music stars, it's still gonna destroy you." ...

"Life has a lot of nuances, " [Coyne said.] "I felt like if I was messed up on drugs, I was missing those nuances. Plus, you see the way I am: I like to be in control."

Read (most of) the article here. And if you need further proof of why Coyne is more worthy (and appreciative) of your admiration than the average whiny rockstar, check out the interview in the same issue with The Strokes' Julian Casablancas for contrast. Eek.

Happy Tuesday.

10.20.09

• "... In states with higher numbers of college-educated adults, couples tended to wed at older ages, while the opposite was true in states with lower education levels. ..."

Do you even need to read more?

• Why real men buy women flowers: "... My dad knew that buying a gift for that person who'll laugh at your terrible jokes, kiss you with lips and breath, and hold your hand as a [hospital] needle searches for your vein is just a way of saying, 'I'm thinking about you when you're not here.'

And that's what flowers are, just a simple, easy way of letting someone know they were in your thoughts. That's it. It's not complicated. Flowers announce: out of sight, still in my mind and heart. It is unerringly human to want to know that someone is thinking about you when you are not around. ..."

This is a cute story with a solid point. And who doesn't need a cute story now and then?

• The Cleveland Plain Dealer's Regina Brett's "45 life lessons and 5 to grow on" -- some of these ring more true than others. And some of them make me worry that Regina Brett sneaks into my apartment and watches me. I won't tell you which are which.

• To each his (or her) own, as Mom always said. Let people be who they are. It's not your place to tell anyone they're right or wrong just because they might or might not agree with you. (I think I might have mentioned that before ...)

• There are more people in your shoes than you might realize. Well, not your exact shoes. Maybe they're a different color or size or something. But they're still the same sassy, pointy-toed kitten heels that can be dressed up or dressed down and make you feel like a million bucks. ... The point is, it's probably smart to try and stay on the same side. You never know how you could help each other out.

• I try not to contribute to passing along viral Internet videos, chain letters, obnoxious forwards, bad advice, ... but something about giving cats subtitles is just too good. (But I'm also the idiot spending hours laughing at Lolcats.)

• Now go on. Some of us have work to do. Happy Tuesday.

10.13.09

• Researchers are developing a new screening system for airports ...

The Homeland Security-funded project is Future Attribute Screening Technology, or FAST. Instead of focusing on whether you have hidden explosives or whether you're carrying a weapon, sensors and cameras located at security checkpoints would measure the natural signals coming from your body -- your heart rate, breathing, eye movement, body temperature and fidgeting. (Read the full story at cnn.com.)

Interesting stuff. But, really? Who ISN'T stressed getting onto a plane?

• Evidently, Mrs. Butterworth's first name is Joy.

• Admittedly, I stole the following from Facebook, and this list was compiled by someone who isn't me. But at 23, I've checked off half of these things with a couple left unchecked that I'm about half sure on. Count me extraordinarily lucky.

"Bucket List"
(Place an X by all the things you've done and remove the X from the ones you have not.)

Things you have done during your lifetime:
1. () Gone on a blind date
2. () Donated blood
3. (x) Skipped school
4. () Watched someone die
5. () Been to Canada
6. (x) Been to Mexico
7. (x) Been to Florida
8. () Been to Hawaii
9. (x) Been on a plane
10. (x) Been on a helicopter
11. (x) Been lost
12. (x) Gone to Washington, D.C.
13. () Hugged a homeless person
14. (x) Swam in the ocean ("swam" is a relative term)
15. () Swam with stingrays
16. () Been sailing in the ocean
17. (x) Cried yourself to sleep
18. (x) Played cops and robbers
19. (x) Recently colored with crayons/colored pens
20. () Ran a marathon
21. (x) Sang karaoke
22. () Volunteered at a soup kitchen
23. (x) Paid for a meal with coins only
24. (x) Been to the top of the St. Louis Arch
25. () Seen the Northern Lights
26. () Been parasailing
27. () Been on TV
28. (x) Done something you told yourself you wouldn't
29. (x) Made prank phone calls
30. () Been down Bourbon Street in New Orleans
31. (x) Laughed until some kind of beverage came out of your nose
32. () Fed an elephant
33. (x) Caught a snowflake on your tongue
34. (x) Fired a gun
35. (x) Danced in the rain
36. () Been to the opera
37. (x) Written a letter to Santa Claus
38. (x) Serenaded someone
39. (x) Seen a U.S. president in person. (I guess he wasn't technically president at the time.)
40. (x) Been kissed under the mistletoe
41. (x) Watched the sunrise with someone
42. () Driven a race car
43. (x) Been to a national museum
44. (x) Been to a wax museum
45. (x) Eaten caviar
46. (x) Blown bubbles
47. (x) Gone ice skating
48. (x) Gone to the movies
49. () Been deep sea fishing
50. (x) Driven across the U.S.
51. () Been in a hot air balloon
52. () Been sky diving
53. () Gone snowmobiling
54. () Lived in more than one country
55. (x) Lay down outside at night and admired the stars while listening to the crickets
56. (x) Seen a falling star and made a wish
57. () Enjoyed the beauty of Old Faithful Geyser
58. (x) Seen the Grand Canyon
59. () Seen the Statue of Liberty
60. () Gone to the top of Seattle Space Needle
61. () Been on a cruise
62. (x) Traveled by train
63. (x) Traveled by motorcycle
64. (x) Been horse back riding
65. () Ridden on a San Francisco cable car
66. (x) Been to Disneyland or Disney World
67. (x) Have at any time truly believed in the power of prayer
68. () Been in a rain forest
69. (x) Seen whales in the ocean
70. () Been to Niagara Falls
71. () Been to an active volcano
72. (x) Ridden on an elephant
73. () Swam with dolphins
74. () Been to the Olympics
75. () Walked on the Great Wall of China
76. () Been inside a pyramid/Buddha
77. () Saw and heard a glacier calf
78. () Been spinnaker flying
79. () Been water-skiing
80. () Been snow-skiing
81. () Been to Westminster Abbey
82. (x) Been to the Louvre
83. () Been to Israel
84. () Swam in the Mediterranean
85. (x) Been to a Major League Baseball game
86. () Been to a National Football League game
87. () Swam with sharks
88. (x) Been white water rafting
89. () Written a book or screenplay

That's 45/89. Let's see if I can't knock out a few more by the quarter-century mark ...

• I only want to be taller when I take out the trash. I'd like to be able to carry the bag(s) with my arm(s) straight without it dragging on the concrete. Never mind tall cabinets or shelves; I've never had any troubles getting to those. Just ask my parents. But for those three or so minutes to the Dumpster (proper noun), I could use a few more inches.

• I'm fascinated with the subcultures of our society. This must have started a couple of summers ago when I realized that there are groups of people who might judge you based on which grocery store you frequent and make entire meals based on hummus. Much love to those people, but it took me by surprise.

Along the lines of subcultures I never knew existed are communities that strive to be completely self-sustaining. People who live without the things that most of us take for granted in an effort to support themselves should said things disappear or become unavailable. I still don't know too much about it. Here are some links that explain it better. Even if it's not necessarily something you agree with or are interested in doing, it's so fun to see what people are into.

Possibility Alliance in La Plata, Mo., is once such community. Ethan Hughes, who is associated with the Possibility Alliance, was part of the Haul of Justice in 2000, during which "regular folks dress up as superheroes and hit the roads on their bicycles for a monthlong journey, providing service to the public with no agenda, and no pre-established course or plans." If that sounds interesting, check out another interview with Hughes where he talks about some kids who took his bike and other craziness that ensues on a trip such as this. Similar communities include Dancing Rabbit Ecovillage and Sandhill Farm, an egalitarian intentional community. Interesting stuff, no?

• It's a great feeling to realize that the friends you chose in your childhood and teen years turned out to be equally awesome and interesting adults. Especially if it's been awhile since you've had a chance to catch up.

• Baby shampoo works as well as any eye make-up remover I've found.

• Friends, we've officially passed breezy, jacket weather and rushed right into space heater and fingerless-gloves season. Yay for scarves, nay for the cold.

• Confidence gets you lots of places. Literally. The key, a wise friend says, is looking/acting like you belong; people usually won't ask questions.

• As far as hair dye goes, it's divided into darkness/lightness levels numbered 1-10 with 1 being black and 10 being ultralight blond(e).

• When you have adequate time to process (Ha! Get it? Process? Dye? ... Never mind.), read this commencement speech by David Foster Wallace. Read it twice if you have to. It's good stuff. So much of life is what you choose to see and how you choose to see it.

Happy Tuesday.

10.6.09

• Check out the emotion in these shots from cnn.com and chicagotribune.com during the 2016 Olympics announcements. Talk about capturing a moment in time ...

• I don't remember which pill Neo takes in "The Matrix," but I'm pretty sure that point-of-no-return stuff is based on real life. Once you realize certain things, there's no going back.

• Also based on real life was that Bill Cosby show "Kids Say the Darndest Things." This conversation happened recently:
Fifth-grader: Are you still in high school?
Me: No, I'm a college graduate.
Fifth-grader: Because you look like you're still in high school.

• Some people really freak out if you make eye contact. (Strangers, I mean. Not normally people you already know.) Smile, and they just about run away. I think I'm a little too entertained by this. ... But I'm also the idiot behind you in line waving and making stupid faces at your infant.

• If Oprah can feature a woman who tries to go on 100 coffee dates to find "The One," I'm pretty sure I could pull off just about anything.

• The best friends aren't afraid to call you out when you need it. I've heard it twice in one week from two different parties in two different situations. Must be true.

• I wonder how long/many times I would have to sit casually, looking not-too-busy at an establishment before someone – anyone (who isn't working at said establishment) – approaches me for any reason at all. I had a pretty good time watching people watch me and whisper not-so-discreetly about why I was eating alone on my dinner break. It could be fun. Wagers?

• People have such interesting things to say. I learn so much just from listening (or reading, as the case may be). What excites them, what they value, where they've been, what they've seen, what they think. Don't underestimate what other people can teach you about the world and about yourself.

• "Life's a journey, not a destination." – Aerosmith, American rock band.

"Happiness is not a goal, it is a byproduct." – Eleanor Roosevelt, civil rights advocate and former first lady.

"There is no way to happiness. Happiness is the way." – Wayne Dyer, American author.

"Happiness is not down the road; happiness is the road." – spiritual leader Dalai Lama?

... Seeing any trends here? As someone who grew up thinking that you choose one path and stick to it in order to be "successful," I'm starting to realize that maybe that's the wrong way to go about things. There's no one way to live happily, and there's no rule that says you can't change your mind along the way.

It's never been my idea of exciting to settle – or "settle-in." That's partly because the thought of going from day to day in the same, stale routine year after year without learning new things and having no way out terrifies me into action. ("Security is a kind of death." – Tennessee Williams, American playwright.) Maybe the way to go is to do what makes you happy until it doesn't anymore – or at least until you have a greater interest in something else – then find the next thing that does.

I think people end up in a rut when they can't admit when something that once made them happy no longer does. There's a stigma that goes along with it, that somehow admitting it means you screwed up the first time. But I don't think that's the case at all. People are constantly changing, no matter how old they are – if they allow it to happen. They take on new interests, new thought processes. It takes a brave and honest person to realize, admit and act on a new endeavor.

"When you get out of here, the world is going to grab you by the hair and start running. And you'd better keep up." – Dr. Peter Voelz, retired journalism professor, Eastern Illinois University.

But there's also a difference between giving up and moving on as described above. The preceding paragraph doesn't apply to situations in which you just give in, give up, or stop trying. I'm working on things as we speak that have become very hard, much harder than I thought they would be when I started working on them. It's easy to rationalize yourself into thinking you don't want something because not having it, not working toward it, not following through would be easier. And it is easier – for now. But if you give in to that weakness, you'll eventually realize that you never wanted that thing any less. You just gave up before you could see all the good there was to be had. Figuring out the difference is a skill in itself.

"Opportunities of a lifetime never come without some sort of price." – Marc Malone, grad student, fantastic writer, friend.

"Nothing in this world that's worth having comes easy." – Dr. Kelso, "Scrubs"

I expect this whole mind-set to continue to shift as I get older, but I think I've come a long way from worrying that choosing the wrong major would be the end of my one chance to do things "right."

"...and if you don't like it, change it." – Jared McClellan, was wise beyond his years at 17.

• Call me crazy, but whomever David Letterman chooses to sleep with does not affect me personally. Because it doesn't affect me, I don't feel the need to chastise him, call for an end to his career, ask any further questions, or really have any opinion at all on his recent announcement. (In fact, I think the real issue here is the alleged blackmail by a network higher-up anyway, but that's apparently not as interesting to the masses.) The point being, until there's a crazy twist that gets me wrapped into it, his sex life is his business and only his. (Hmm ... OK, kiddies, how else might we be able to apply this principle?)

• Noodles & Co. has a "no tip" policy. (Which means you don't leave one, even when dining in.)

• No matter what you're thinking, feeling, dealing with at any given time, someone has thought, felt or dealt with the exact same thing. When that "thing" is good, this thought might seem to cheapen the uniqueness of your experience. When that "thing" is bad, this thought will be a comfort. (Funny how that works, isn't it?)

• Kandi Burruss, a cast member on "The Real Housewives of Atlanta," wrote TLC's "No Scrubs" and was a member of Xscape.

• A good friend once said that sometimes you have to lie a little to get yourself through tough times. By the time you start believing what you've been telling yourself, it's not so tough. (You might have heard this expressed as, "Fake it until you make it," but I prefer that my clichés not rhyme.)

• France may put warning labels on airbrushed photos. Also, check out these 10 doctored shots.

• I think it's safe to assume that most people haven't figured things out as well as you might imagine.

Happy Tuesday.

9.29.09

• Wearing a suit feels awesome. Wearing a wash-and-wear "travel" suit: even better.

• Have you ever experienced something that you know, right then, will stick with you and become one of those golden "remember when," turning-point sort of memories? I had that feeling this week. I've never been so inspired by a wave.

• I would list all the great things that have come to mind recently about having your own place, but I think that might be letting you in a little too much. Just know that there are a lot ... even in the 'burbs.

• You never know what will help you find a new appreciation for something else. Be open-minded to that.

• It's illegal to place a student who is not fluent in English in a class for students with speech problems. It's not the same.

• You can never have too many friends. (That one's from Mommy.)

• I'm growing back into embracing the sitcominess of life. It never fails to happen. I often think you couldn't get a bigger laugh if someone wrote this stuff. (The movie of my life that plays continuously in my head is tragically funny more often than not, but I don't think it would fail to entertain.)

• USA Today reports that teens who don't have their "own" car are half as likely to get into a crash. (The gist of this article? If you're going to have kids, BE a parent.)

• "Pain beats regret every day of the week and twice on Sundays." Oh, Matthew McConaughey, I love you in spite of your cheesiness and laughably bad movies.

• I can't decide what I think of Rock Plaza Central (other than that it translates better live than on MySpace and that a couple of the members remind me of newspaper press room guys I've worked with). I think his voice might be too ... something ... (distracting?) to totally enjoy the great harmonies. Thoughts?

• People who try things – who choose to express themselves – even though they might not be ... good? ... at what they're doing make me smile. You know that the effort is genuine that way.

• I'll never have to hide again. I'll never have to deal with [insert annoyance here] again. I'll never have to _____ again. Fill in the blank for yourself. It'll feel good. Slap it on a Post-It if you have to. Everyone loves the well-executed use of office supplies. (At least I do ...)

• People are constantly evolving as they have new experiences, but it takes something clicking in a person's head and an honest realization on his/her part to really change. (And there's nothing wrong with changing – especially if it leads to better things.)

• Everything is so much more enjoyable and interesting once you stop being afraid of not having all the answers. Having the courage to ask questions – yep, even stupid ones – and to learn from the people around you makes life seem less mundane and predictable. But you can't be too cool for it, or it will never work right. You won't get anything out if it if you're wrapped up in your own image. You'll miss the lesson. Learn to be okay with looking ridiculous sometimes and deal with the rough spots with humor and grace. (I have a friend who swears by the humor and grace stuff. Works beautifully for her.)

• The most unpredictable things can make (or ruin) your day if you let them. Really, "iff" you let them. ("If and only if." My high school geometry teacher would be proud ...)

• Cats are smarter (better at getting attention, anyway) than most people give them credit for. Although, I don't know whether plopping down on top of a computer mouse counts as catching it.

(Note: If you're reading this as a Facebook note, check out the original "what I know now" blog post. There is a method to the rambling. Promise.)

9.22.09

• CNN's done it again. (Is "Talk Like A Pirate Day" really news anywhere but Facebook? ... Really?)

• Isn't it strange that people who are into watching are critiquing movies are viewed as classy and justified (because they study fiiiilm), but those who are interested in a well-written, thought-provoking TV series are viewed as nothing more than couch potatoes? As someone who is happy to invest hours upon hours in DVD box sets, I'll make the argument that it's not only strange, but downright ridiculous.

• There's nothing quite like the feeling of going out to eat and getting so caught up in the conversation that you have to take the meal home.

• Do whatever works for you, even if other people don't agree. Sometimes it's all right to be selfish.

• Christian Louboutin made the shoes for Janet Jackson & Co.'s Michael Jackson tribute performance of "Scream" at this year's MTV Video Music Awards.

• Sometimes advice rings truer when it comes from beautiful people. Really. Why? Because we take comfort in knowing that people we admire – or who are outwardly composed – experience the same hardships and shortcomings as us regular ol' folks.

• I realized that, for the first time in a very long time, (1) I enjoy reading and (2) I feel as though there aren't enough hours in the day. Yesss ...

9.15.09

I think this project would be more doable in weekly installments. I pick Tuesdays.

• Sometimes you must be brave enough to allow yourself to be completely vulnerable.

• Never underestimate the influence and comfort of friendship.

• I will never stop believing that good things – important things – are worth working hard for.

• Sometimes taking any action is better than analyzing to find the perfect one. Sometimes it's exactly the opposite.

• Two recent techie conventions showed that Macs are actually easier to hack than machines that run on Windows.

• No one is above a lapse in judgment. Even, say, elected officials.

• Dealing with pain often is a matter of mourning the loss of what might have been.

• I was a sophomore in Mrs. Harlow's second-hour psychology class at Jacksonville High School on Sept. 11, 2001. We were studying Pavlov. I started taking notes in my planner when the announcements started coming sporadically over the loudspeaker from the front office. I didn't know why I felt the need to do that. We eventually turned the TV on and gave up on the lesson. It seemed to take everyone awhile to realize that things weren't okay, and when they did, no one wanted to be the first to say it.

We must have continued with the day for a couple more periods or so, but the next thing I remember is sitting at a round cafeteria table in the dark about lunch time. In our naivety, we wondered if the power outage was a result of some kind of attack on our school. In reality, the transformer had blown because there were so many TVs and radios plugged in throughout the building. At a loss of what else to do, the principal came in and announced that we were all free to go home. I got in my best friend Kristy's gold Dodge Intrepid with my boyfriend, Ian, and spent most of the evening curled up on the floor – mostly silent, often crying – watching TV in my family's basement.

For a long time, it was like a game to see how often "Sept. 11" would come up on a daily basis. Then it started to annoy me. I'd wonder, "Why can't we move on? Why can't we let this go? Does everything really have to tie back to it?" I've seen grown adult approach airport personnel, point her finger at another person, and tell a staff member that she didn't want to be on the plane with one of "them." I still wonder where all the hate came from.

Unlike a lot of people, I don't say very much about the people personally involved, nor do I ever speak politically about it. I respect the heroes, and I feel sad for the people who lost loved ones. But part of me has always felt like no amount of an outsider's emotion could be worthy of what happened to those people – it wouldn't be enough. And using such a tragedy as a kind of political hot button or to push an agenda has always seemed disrespectful. I'm fortunate that can't relate to what they've been though, and I can't pretend to understand how they feel. I certainly don't know how to ease that kind of pain, and I'd imagine that if I were in their shoes, I wouldn't want people to try. So I let it be.

I do know that felt very strange that first day; I remember thinking that I was old enough that I should have been able to wrap my head around the importance of what had happened, but I still felt like it was something that I couldn't quite grasp. Thinking back, maybe that feeling was some kind of realization that the world had changed right before our eyes.

• It's illegal to ride a motorcycle without protective eyewear. (Oops ... Does closing your eyes, burying your face, and holding on for dear life count?)

9.5.09

• I try to be open-minded and flexible, but there's a list of things I know for sure that I don't want for myself. Growing jaded and bitter is on that list.

• Soldiers started mixing jelly with peanut butter during World War II to make it easier to eat.

• Powdered rubber (think car tires) helps make gum chewy. Thinking twice about swallowing it now, huh?

• Does anyone else get the feeling that you absorb less when you're reading something on a screen vs. reading it from a book? I bet that's what makes online classes so hard.

• Word I'd never seen until today: denuclearization.

8.31.09

• PBS aired its final episode of "Reading Rainbow" on Friday. (The show still will be available for teaching purposes for a year. Grab them while you can...)

• Apparently people have "swine flu parties" where they purposely expose themselves to people who have the virus in hopes of building up a natural immunity. Needless to say, the Centers for Disease Control does not recommend these interactions.

• Summer left abruptly last week, and fall is setting in. It's August. Some days are closer to Wisconsin than others.

• Things are seldom as easy as you imagine.
"Opportunities of a lifetime never come without paying some sort of price." (Marc Malone)
OR...
"Nothing in this world that's worth having comes easy." (Bob Kelso, "Scrubs")
OR...
"When you get out of here, the world is going to grab you by the hair and start running. And you'd better keep up." (Dr. Peter Voelz)
OR...
"Security is a kind of death." (Tennessee Williams)


• Taking a few days off to spend time with family. Make time to spend with your family.

8.28.09

• A portion of U.S. tax dollars goes to repay citizens of Afghanistan and Iraq for damage U.S. soldiers have caused during wartime.

• Why do people think it's funny to pronounce words incorrectly?

• Football is a sport that I will never enjoy nor appreciate.

• Wearing a sign in traffic that tells everyone you've cheated on your spouse. Adequate punishment?

• "It's the life you chose. Don't act like it isn't yours."
("The Safety of Objects")

8.27.09

• You don't have to boil water first to make noodles. They'll cook just fine if you put them in at the same time as the water.

• Meijer sells Muffin Tops cereal. (Oh, college ...)

• Chevy Chase turned down the role of Forrest Gump.

• It's interesting to see what kinds of common interests and/or experiences bring people together. It's also interesting to see how the level of actual interest varies. People are less genuine about topics or experiences they don't choose for themselves.

• CNN.com recently published a story about the 12 most annoying types of Facebookers. Here's my contribution to that list: people who whine incessantly. (I guess it's a subcategory of The Sympathy-Baiter, if you want to get technical.) I understand that some days, it just seems like the world is out to get you. Everything that can go wrong does, and even some of the things that you think can't go wrong do, too. The world seems like it's crumbling around you. Even the cat is angry with you. You just want to curl up in a ball and wish it all away. I get it. It happens to us all. And I understand needing support during a genuine tragedy. But no one needs or cares to read about your woe-is-me, everything-is-awful, my-life-is-so-bad ramblings – especially when it's all you ever have to talk about. Are you still living? Are you well enough to be wasting time whining on a social networking site? Are you doing "all right" enough to afford to pay for or have public access to the computer or smart phone you're using to communicate said whining? Can you think of at least 15 ways you could be worse off? Then stop complaining.

8.26.09

• The first draft of this post apparently got sucked into the vast expanse of Internetland. Really? Does that still even happen? Only to me? I'm not surprised ...

• Even when I'm not in the newsroom, I feel for the people who have to tackle post-deadline breaking news. At least you enjoy the rush. RIP Ted Kennedy.

• This article on burlesque is really interesting.

• There's a restaurant on Beale Street in Memphis that has been deep-frying its food in the same grease since 1912. Not just the same kind. Same exact grease. They keep it locked in a safe each night and reuse it the next day.

• Both the sun and moon have an effect on Earth's tides. The sun is 400 times farther away, and it's effect is one-third that of the moon.

• You really never know who's paying attention or whether everything is coming across in context. Act accordingly.

• Being aware of your skeletons makes it that much easier to make them disappear should you ever, say, decide to run for office someday.

8.25.09

• Folding laundry with the windows open and letting old Dashboard Confessional mixes fill my apartment. I'm spending my day off being 15 again.

8.22.09

• Way to keep the standards high, CNN.com. J majors, let's see what happens when you try to use "snafu" in one of your newspaper headlines ...

• Today is my two-year anniversary. Work anniversary anyway. Yay?

• You know you're getting old(er) when:
(a) You start getting really nostalgic for the things you remember as a child and know likely will never happen to anyone again. (Your dad explaining the Internet for the first time. The VCR eating your favorite movie. Licking stamps.)
(b) You start wondering why your suburban-parent neighbors are playing dance music at 2 a.m. on a Sunday. ("I'm up at 2 a.m. EVERY DAY and manage to keep my early-morning goings on at a relatively low hum. ... grumble grumble grumble")
(c) You start to enjoy AM talk radio. ( ... )

• Check out what's coming up in TV land and what ever happened to your favorite show at www.televisionwithoutpity.com. (I hear "FlashForward" and "Cougar Town" will be worth checking out.)

8.20.09

• When a woman does something too well, it must mean she's a man, right? Come on, people.

• I've been wondering a lot lately, "Why can't anything just go right after the first try?" It's past annoying and not yet to comical.

8.19.08

• Hitler was a rejected artist. The first building he commissioned for the Nazi party was an art museum. He was an avid art collector – only of the pieces he deemed appropriate, of course – and bought hundreds of items each year to add to his personal collection. Check out "The Rape of Europa" (book or movie) for more about the millions of dollars in works of art that were stolen, evacuated, hidden, destroyed and lost during World War II under Nazi rule.

• It's important to have things to look forward to. But it's also – more? – important to be able to differentiate between working toward something and fixating on it so that you miss everything going on right now. Sometimes enjoying today takes a little work – like forcing yourself to slow down and realize you do have time to do things that "settled" people do ... without having to settle.

• You'll find that some people are trustworthy, and some are not. It's painful to find out that people belong in the second group, but trying to shield yourself from that pain by keeping everyone at arm's length isn't worth it. You won't make the second group any more trustworthy, and you'll miss out on the best parts of the first.

• In the same vein (Don't you hate stupid phrases?), certain people in certain situations will never grow up. And you can't change it. It will make you livid, but you can't let it make you unhappy. Love and allow yourself to be loved. Anyone who doesn't wish you the best in that isn't worth your wasted emotion.

• There are too many amazing people in the world not to surround yourself with friends who make you feel inspired.

• Talking with someone about to start college makes me miss all the things in college that I didn't realize were worth cherishing at the time. But does anyone really ever realize something is worth cherishing at the moment?

8.15.09

• Time is getting away from me again. Oh, bother.

• General Electric owns NBC.

8.14.09

• MTV plays old episodes of "Scrubs." Who knew?

• Sometimes people really don't want help. Whatever their reason, respect that.

8.11.09

• Audrey Hepburn studied ballet for years, only to be told that she'd never be good enough or have the proper body to reach her dream of becoming a prima ballerina. Coco Chanel was laughed at when she first started to design hats, and her career had its share of flops. The failures make their stories more interesting, more human. At least that's what I need to believe.

8.9.09

• Lollapalooza Day 2:

- Hotter. Bearable with water.

- I met this guy. He stopped for the festival during an 11-week drive across the U.S.

- A surprising number of people are willing to give media members their names, ages and hometowns ... until they also have to have their photo taken. All of those who refused were women.

- If you feel something splashed, splattered or spilled on you while you're attending a large event at which vendors are selling large amounts of alcohol and don't immediately hear, "Oh my gosh! I'm so sorry!" or similar, a fist fight is likely to come next.

- It's amazing who you'll end up talking to, running into, recognizing at any given place. Maybe you know them, maybe you don't, maybe you've seen them in a magazine. Regardless, watching people – observing – never gets old.

- Even important people make mistakes.

- Be courteous. Decline politely. Don't forget that everyone has feelings, insecurities, interests, successes regardless of how they might appear. People are still people, even when they're in huge groups. Remember that large groups are full of individuals who have something in common with you.

- Let me preface this by saying that I don't have kids. But I assume that making sure they can hear past age 25 would be up there on the list of parenting priorities. Buy them cool concert earmuffs. And please keep your anklebiters away from me with their rogue Frisbees.

- I don't know why both a hand-held microphone and a larger (boom?) microphone are used when filming interviews. Could one of you TV people help me out?

• Lollapalooza Day 3:

- Miserably hot. Water. Water. Water.

- Apparently someone does sell flip-flops at Lollapalooza. I'd like to think someone saw my earlier post and scurried to task, but someone is probably just smarter than I gave them credit for.

- I saw a motorcyclist who had a dog on his lap (strapped to him in something like those front-backpack baby carriers, I'm sure). The dog was wearing goggles. Goggles! The only thing cuter than that would be if he were wearing Mutt Muffs, too.

- If Chicago gets the Olympics in 2016, Lolla will skip a year. (Remember that 10-year contract I mentioned?)

- Even "important" people are just people. While it's probably flattering to be adored by strangers, I bet it's more flattering to be treated like a human being.

- ... But everyone has someone who makes them a little starry-eyed.

- There are certain things that no one will admit to. Like feeling completely miserable after paying $205 to stand in the sun and sweat profusely.

- It's easy to get lost in the shadows when you make excuses for yourself or where you are when you feel as though you don't belong. When you remember that you ARE someone (no matter who that might be), being confident comes more easily.

- There's so much more to tell, but this weekend has shown me how truly out of shape I am. My feet are bandaged. My muscles ache. My skin is slightly less than burned (thanks to UV bracelets and several tubes of sunscreen). My mind is reeling from everything I saw and heard and discussed. But for spending three days in a place where I'm convinced that no one is comfortable, I had a fantastic weekend with even better company. Now it's time to recover.

8.08.09

• Lollapalooza Day 2:

Exhausted. Check back later.

8.7.09

• Cocaine was ruled a factor in Billy Mays' death. ... It's too easy. I'll let it go.

• Lollapalooza Day 1:

- The festival has a contract with the city of Chicago for another 10 years.

- Three-day passes and single-day passes for Friday were sold out.

- Picture those plastic, snappy bracelets you get at events that have to be cut off after they're closed. When they're going to be too long, remember to fold the excess over a few times before snapping. I guess festivals don't like a lot of scissors sitting around.

- Rain. Umbrellas are really obnoxious in large groups. Apologies for my contribution to this ...

- Disappointed in Ben Folds' set. Too much mediocre new stuff. Not enough personality.

- Someone should open a stand to sell cheap, comfortable shoes. I saw a pair of flip-flops abandoned after getting stuck in the mud, a few way-cooler-than-you kids who were limping along in their sexy heels, and a several people who had given up on their shoes completely. I bet there would be a market for it even without the rain.

- I can't speak for the other flavors (yet), but Stretch Island Fruit Co.'s orchard cherry Original Fruit Leathers are great.

- (Something I can thank theater experience for:) If you're trying to direct someone to you in a crowd and you say you're "to the left of the stage," you're standing to the left of the stage as you're looking at it from the crowd. If you're "stage left," however, you're to the right of the stage as you're looking at it from the crowd (to the performers' left when they're onstage). Save everyone the confusion. How do you give directions?

8.6.09

• R.I.P. John Hughes. Which movie is your favorite?

8.5.09

• "Cash for Clunkers" is actually called the Car Allowance Rebate System (CARS), and I've just about heard (read, designed, edited, watched ... ) enough about it.

• Hooray and hugs and cheers for hard work paying off and people who don't give up on their goals, themselves, or each other. I'm so proud of you.

8.3.09

• The Warners refused to consider Julie Andrews for the role of Eliza Doolittle in the film version of "My Fair Lady," even though she created the role on stage. Instead, they would only cast Audrey Hepburn. The directors then had Hepburn's singing parts recorded again by a more polished singer and put those into the film, which took away the character Hepburn put into the singing parts and likely cost her an Oscar nomination for the role. Julie Andrews ended up winning the Oscar for best actress that year for "Mary Poppins." She thanked the Warners in her acceptance speech.

• Apparently symphony orchestras have jump on the "tweeting" bandwagon for their performances. (Read a story here.) Is there no place left to feel classy and sophisticated that doesn't involve a battery or wall outlet?

• Handwriting – especially really messy handwriting – does not fax well.

• Small nicities stick with people. Don't underestimate them.

• Isn't it strange how very good and very bad things bring people together in the same way?

This weekend, I was lucky enough to attend the wedding of two of my closest friends, which brought friends from many different places together to celebrate them. Seeing people you've met at various stops along the way not only makes you remember and appreciate the past, but also allows you to realize how great it is that the parts of people that make them friends very seldom change or go away. Even if you don't have the luxury of seeing them on a daily basis anymore, good friends always remain good friends. And it's terribly exciting to watch people you care about grow and make their lives uniquely their own – even if it has to be from a distance.

After the wedding, I found out that someone I'd known since grade school had died in his sleep. I no longer live in the town we went to school in. But I immediately remembered the first kind gesture he made when we first met – even as a third grader who probably didn't realize what a difference he made. He was very kind, very giving, and will be genuinely missed by many people. As the news has spread – mostly via Facebook – I've heard from several old classmates whom I haven't seen or spoken to in many years. The barriers that junior high and high school create are no longer there, and everyone is an individual now, which is encouraging even amid the shock and confusion. People are concerned, and they want to help one another. They want to express their appreciation and sympathy as the group they once were.

As I was thinking about it all – how strange it seems that two situations that foster opposite emotions can have similar results – one of those classmates said something that could not have been more true: "I believe in my heart Robert had a purpose even now ... bringing people together."

• Coincidentally, the newspaper ran a story about what happens to a person's online personality – their e-mail, Facebook and MySpace pages, etc. – when they die unexpectedly. (The full story can be found here.) In one of the instances featured, a friend of the deceased got her passwords from her family and kind of keeps up with her online pages, including replying to some messages that people send to her profile. I'm very interested to hear your thoughts on this. Is it ok for someone to read and/or reply to private messages or e-mails sent to the profile of someone who has died? Does it matter who that reader is (friend vs. family)? What do you think?

7.31.09-8.02.09

• Congratulations, Melissa and Eric! Off to celebrate the Schumachers ...

7.30.09

• "Were" – not "was" – is used when you're talking about a wish/desire or a situation that is contrary to reality.

- I wish I were 18 again.
- If she were here, she wouldn't be there.
- Were I going to the ball, I'd be dressed already.
- If I were you, I'd skip the event.

(This isn't something I learned today. I just keep seeing it used incorrectly.)

• That's all. I won't feel bad about having a lazy three-day "weekend."

7.28.09

• Layout tweaks. Cleaner, I think. Embracing the creative white space.
• Scientists have found a way to intravenously use the dye in M&Ms and Gatorade to help reduce spinal injury. The only side effect is that lab rats turned blue (above). No joke.

7.27.09

• Isn't it strange how you get irritated with a bad parking job even when a lot is basically empty and you know that no one will have to park next to the jerk taking up two spots?

• I heard Cubs starting pitcher Ryan Dempster say today that he tries to learn something new on the field every day (Hmm! Guess I'm not the only one.) ... right before he said the team had to "play aggressive." Oh, bother.

• I'm going to try and trim my own bangs. More on that to come.

• Life is too short not to be blissfully in love with whatever or whomever you care about.

• Progressive cooking is terribly interesting. There are eyedroppers and bubbles and all kinds of taste- and scent-creating processes involved.

• One of the better interview questions I've heard asked to a chef is what tastes or smells from childhood inspired him. The concept of someone being so driven by a pleasant memory from their childhood is something beautiful.

• I don't understand why one person has to have the same program on multiple TVs at different angles. As far as I'm aware, there's no visual equivalent to surround sound that you can capture that way.

• I always feel kind of sad for people in obituaries who never had children ... then I remember that I don't want children. I hope whatever appears in my obit is exciting enough to make up for it.

• A humorous exchange after having a refrigerator unplugged to "thaw" for a few days:
Boy: So I plugged your fridge in like 2hrs ago, and it still hasn't gotten any colder. Do I have to turn anything on?
Girl: the breaker
Who says women aren't handy?

• The most expensive stock sells for more than $90,000 a share on the floor of the NYSE (where, incidentally, it no longer looks the way it does in the movies).

7.26.09

• Happy birthday, Mom!

7.25.09

• Being considerate means, among other things, being aware of how your actions affect other people.

• No matter who you are, everyone has a "glory days" story or two.

• Even police are careful about what they say over the scanner.

• Doughnut. D-O-U-G-H-N-U-T. Doughnut.

• People gather information about others even when they aren't around. Don't act surprised. You do it, too. The places you frequent ooze information about you when you're away. If walls could talk? Try your desk, your trash, your doormats, your floormats, your fridge, your ...

• Police dogs are trained to ignore distractions, including people – the ones who aren't targets, anyway.

• Maraschino cherries don't come off the tree that way. They're preserved in a brine solution (water saturated with salt) before having sugar, color and flavoring added. Red Maraschino cherries are usually almond-flavored. Green ones sometimes are peppermint. Who knew?

7.24.09

• Bourbon is the national native spirit.

• After the oak barrels used to store bourbon are retired, they're sold to the scotch industry and used for storage again.

• Midnight is part of the day ending, not the one beginning.

• Tanning beds date to at least 1945.

• Frost-free freezers are prone to frozen lines and have to be thawed (read: take everything out and unplug it).

• The federal minimum wage increases to $7.25 today. When I got my first job, it was $5.15.

7.22.09

• I'm sort of intrigued (in a train-wreck kind of way) by the idea that people get more self-conscious as they get older. The more you know, the more you've experienced, the more comfortable and confident you should be in dealing with what have come to be pretty normal situations. Maybe some people take a little longer to catch on ...

• I'm no expert, but Wayne Coyne is the most approachable front man I've seen to date. (ABOVE: The Flaming Lips, July 17, 2009, Pitchfork Music Festival, Union Park, Chicago.)

• There always will be someone you deem better – smarter, taller, more attractive, better spoken, better at Scrabble, you name it. But you don't always have to be or have the best to be happy. (Do you ever feel like you should have learned things long before now?)

• Putting in the effort to ride a bike is much more appealing in the summer. (Do you ever feel like you should have learned things long before now?)

• Sometimes what someone wants isn't what you'd assume they want. Watch the speech from "Chasing Amy." It might make more sense 12 years later.

• WD-40 was created in 1953 to keep rust off rockets. It stands for "Water Displacement, 40th formula."

• Bad things often happen for no good reason. When they do, you have to accept that your story – the movie of your life that runs through your head – now includes that bad thing and the repercussions of it. It might not have been your preference to assume responsibility for that kind of baggage, but you can't undo it. And often without finding a satisfactory explanation for it, you have to work the story around that bad thing.