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.