7/21/07

* India has named a 72-year-old woman its first female president.
* Tammy Faye died. She was 65 (and 4'11"). The first time she wore eye make-up, she took it off immediately thinking it was of the devil.
* More than 400 people have filed suits against the company that makes homeopathic cold reliever Zicam (based in Phoenix), saying the product has damaged their sense of smell and/or taste.
* Studies show that teen "girl talk" (chatter over boys, fitting in, appearance issues, etc.) is linked to depression in girls but not boys.
(So... You're telling me that girls get more wrapped up in emotional stuff than boys do at that age? Shocking.)
* Microchip implants (similar to the ones developed for pets) can be used to tighten security, keep track of Alzheimer's patients and for identification purposes. The technology is not advanced enough for someone (or the government) to track you all the time, but with all that important info stored in your arm, hackers could potentially steal your ID right out of there. The chips last for about 10 years. Your thoughts?

7/20/07

* I read all the Harry Potter spoilers I could find, and it all still means nothing.
* Women weren't allowed to wear pants on the Senate floor until the '90s. (Yeah, that's the 1990s.)
* Cheetah, the chimp in all the Tarzan movies, lives in Arizona. He's the oldest chimp in the world at 75 (human) years. He also was rumored to be in love with the man who played Tarzan and expressed jealousy by attacking the woman who played Jane. No joke.
* The Munchkins from "The Wizard of Oz" are getting their own star on the Walk of Fame, possibly with yellow brick underneath.
(I only have 5 inches on the little guy quoted in the wire story, but a very kind co-worker eased my mind by saying I don't appear that short. Let's hear it for optical illusions, huh?) But the most pressing matter here: What about the monkeys?

7/19/07

* Nothing like staying up all night working to make you feel like you've actually done something ...and make you dead tired in the (later) morning.
* "A watched pot never boils." Don't you hate that it's true? (And did anyone else wonder what a "watch pot" was as a kid?)
* If you don't take big risks, you're less likely to be disappointed ...but what fun is that? Sometimes the unexpected happens.
* Salmon can jump something like 6 feet in the air.
* It took hundreds of computers running for 20 years, trying out 500 billion-billion (that's right, billion-billion) different possibilities, but scientists have finally done it. They've solved checkers.
* And perhaps the most important lesson for today:
"I will not mock the monsoon. I will not mock the monsoon. I will not..."

7/18/07

* It's tough to choose between what's easier and more secure and what's tougher and more of a risk. And I know I don't have the answer.
* "Fickle" isn't a trait one can part with easily.

7/17/07

* "Breathe with your heels." The Chinese use this old saying to reflect the belief that your feet and where they take you matter. Rather than just treating them as means by which to arrive at Point B from Point A, they do meaningful work.
* "Security is a kind of death," (that's Tennessee Williams) but uncertainty is no picnic either.

7/16/07

* The strangest thing happened on the drive home from work! These small, round dots fell on my windshield. They would splatter and run up the glass like little beads as if they were -- dare I say -- wet or something. I even used the wipers ...once. Cars were stopped alongside the road. (I like to think they were so overwhelmed by the "deluge" that they had to pull off the highway.)
* Rain also smells different in Arizona. But after more than six weeks without a sprinkle, I suppose it's possible for an Illinois girl to forget.
* Matchbox cars first were created to give the developer's daughter an alternative to taking spiders to school in matchbooks. He gave her a tiny steamroller.
* Jim Dale, the man who reads the Harry Potter books on tape has finished recording the last book, after signing a contract to keep his mouth shut about the ending. He also holds a world record for most voices for said recordings ...something like 200.

7/15/07

* Take a cue from Audrie (top left), Chelsea and I: Make sure to get your money's worth from the Seventh-Inning Stretch (above). Scott (top center) isn't quite there yet.
* The suspense is killing me.
* Blago "accidentally" gave a make-up artist $600 of state funds to make up look pretty for the State of the State address. Home, sweet home, huh?
* Chase Field has a pool in the stands ...and a retractable roof.
* This guy blows my mind.
* I read an interesting story today about a couple (who's getting married...blah, blah, blah). They met while serving jury duty for a murder trial.
* The Phillies are the only MLB team to lose 10,000 games.

7/14/07

* Working out at 8 a.m. (which means getting up at 7 a.m. to get through traffic) is surprisingly refreshing ...but I'm still going back to bed.
* If you do not live at a house or are not visiting someone who lives at a house, it is rude to take up the only parkable space in front of said house. Apparently this is one of those concepts that exists only in my head.
* The Cosmo dog park in the Valley was ranked the nation's best.
* Event traffic is worse than rush hour.

7/13/07

* PostSecret updates (sample above) are things to look forward to every Sunday. During the week, there often are e-mail responses added in, too.
* That first little imperfection on whatever new thing you have will break your heart. Every time.
* Along the same lines, everyone will disappoint you sometime, and you'll disappoint them. It's not a matter of if but when. Don't dwell on it, just know that it's coming.
* Is it better to visit every state or know someone in every state?
* Even the most professional of people have a bit of a wild streak ...at least.

7/12/07

* Leaving your immediate future up to a machine is a strange and unnerving feeling. Kind of like I faxed my life away this morning...
* Speaking of this morning, what song do you suppose was playing over the loudspeaker at Staples as I was taking a timed copy-editing test? "Under Pressure."
* When you have a deadline -- and I don't mean a newspaper deadline -- someone will jump in front of you in line. Or your car will stall. Or your nose will start bleeding. Or you'll lose that phone number you need. Or your computer will freeze up. Or something. Plan accordingly.
* Found out today that I get to be part of something I can't help but think of as a "final project." (Guess that school mentality isn't gone quite yet.) I'm super excited. And as of tomorrow, I will officially have design clips from The Arizona Republic. (Yay!)
* It's not a good idea to use hot keys to release pages. And if you're ever using CCI, stay away from F5 at all costs. Trust me.
* An 11 update (for those of you keeping track of the crazy number stuff): My address as a child was Rt. 4, Box 340 (4+3+4=11); my current house number is 1514 (1+5+1+4=11); the test I took today was 11 pages long; the Diamondbacks ticket I grabbed randomly off the top of the pile on a table at work is, you guessed it, none other than Row 11, Seat 11.
* Vise is that tool in the garage (as in "vise grip"). Vice is that guilty pleasure or bad habit you just can't kick.
* Never think you can't be amazed by the way things come around. It'll never cease to surprise you.

7/11/07

* We met Tim Gaynor from Reuters wire service today, and he told us these incredible stories about being a foreign correspondent. Almost makes a person want to get back to reporting. ...Almost.
* Don't waste your time being "kind of" happy. It's not worth it. Take a few risks and find something that really fits.
* Don't be that guy who waits until the lane disappears to try and merge when the signs have been telling you the lane ends for a mile and a half. Good grief.
* Nicer restaurants expect to make their money on drinks during Happy Hour, so they often will mark down a mini-menu's worth of items to better-than-reasonable prices. Ten bucks isn't bad for a normally sit-down meal.
* If you have to back up out of an intersection, make sure you've shifted back to "D" while you're waiting. The car won't go from park.
* Everyone has bad days.
* Reuters started in the 1850s with stock prices and carrier pigeons.
* "We want you to explain the U.S. to the world."
* Calls from mommies and old friends always are fantastic. Try it.
* Sad to say, even after college, tests do not go away.