Tuesday, July 31, 2007
Monday, July 30, 2007
7/29/07
* San Diego is a beautiful city.
* Sunscreen, sunscreen, sunscreen.
* The problem with zoos is that most of the time, the scenery looks so good that the animals get comfy and find ways to hide from the visitors.
* If you've never been to Dick's Last Resort, go. Be prepared to fight back.
* Check other events happening in the area of your planned vacations ...Comicon (huge comic-book conference) just ended and the "American Idol" auditions for San Diego start tomorrow. There's an apparent contestant in the room next door. (Who knew?)
* If it seems quirky in the brochure/on the Web site, it probably is.
* Sunscreen, sunscreen, sunscreen.
* The problem with zoos is that most of the time, the scenery looks so good that the animals get comfy and find ways to hide from the visitors.
* If you've never been to Dick's Last Resort, go. Be prepared to fight back.
* Check other events happening in the area of your planned vacations ...Comicon (huge comic-book conference) just ended and the "American Idol" auditions for San Diego start tomorrow. There's an apparent contestant in the room next door. (Who knew?)
* If it seems quirky in the brochure/on the Web site, it probably is.
Sunday, July 29, 2007
7/28/07
* Watching things come together is a fantastic feeling. Knowing you have a place to sleep is another one.
* Does anyone understand significant digits? (Did anyone ever?)
* "Some Like It Hot" was filmed at the Hotel del Coronado in San Diego (well, technically in Coronado).
* Always keep names, numbers and other info you might need for references, resumes or applications. It's a pain to look them all up again.
* I'm so excited for California, I can't think of anything else. Pacific Ocean, here we come!
* Does anyone understand significant digits? (Did anyone ever?)
* "Some Like It Hot" was filmed at the Hotel del Coronado in San Diego (well, technically in Coronado).
* Always keep names, numbers and other info you might need for references, resumes or applications. It's a pain to look them all up again.
* I'm so excited for California, I can't think of anything else. Pacific Ocean, here we come!
Saturday, July 28, 2007
7/27/07
* When it rains in Phoenix, it pours -- figuratively. Today was a rough one on many levels.
Two news helicopters crashed over a park, killing four journalists from two news channels.
Then a 23-year-old police officer was shot and killed. Last I heard, police still were searching for the suspect, and a Rush concert at one of the huge stadiums downtown was about to let out (read: tons of people, traffic, congestion) just as they were starting to look.
On a personal note, days like these make journalism real. These situations are heart-breaking, but they give newsrooms -- especially those at the center of it all -- a chance to really come together and emphasize a team effort. It's encouraging to see people persevere through tragedy and really work to find the best and most appropriate way to serve the public.
It makes journalism exciting -- but it also forces you to have a thicker skin than most. To do well in these situations, you have to shrug it off to an extent. But some are left so jaded that such things don't phase them at all.
I guess I can only hope I never reach that point.
Two news helicopters crashed over a park, killing four journalists from two news channels.
Then a 23-year-old police officer was shot and killed. Last I heard, police still were searching for the suspect, and a Rush concert at one of the huge stadiums downtown was about to let out (read: tons of people, traffic, congestion) just as they were starting to look.
On a personal note, days like these make journalism real. These situations are heart-breaking, but they give newsrooms -- especially those at the center of it all -- a chance to really come together and emphasize a team effort. It's encouraging to see people persevere through tragedy and really work to find the best and most appropriate way to serve the public.
It makes journalism exciting -- but it also forces you to have a thicker skin than most. To do well in these situations, you have to shrug it off to an extent. But some are left so jaded that such things don't phase them at all.
I guess I can only hope I never reach that point.
Friday, July 27, 2007
7/26/07
Happy birthday, Mommy!
* I officially have a copy editing/design job in Crystal Lake. (Yay!)
* "Pixelated" (not to be confused with "pixilated") is not yet in Webster's standard dictionary. (Millennium edition, yes. Regular edition, no.)
* When it rains in Phoenix, it pours. Literally. Storms predicted for the rest of the week.
* The U.S. has made an agreement with the European Union to broaden the scope of traveler info it can get from airline passengers, including such data as philosophies, religion, sexual preference and trade-union affiliations. I can't find the link right now, so I'll return to this later.
* 1936's "Tell Your Children" (aka "Reefer Madness") was way over the top. Or was it? (Mwahaha...)
* Be kind to your cat. This one can predict death.
* It's "aka." No spaces. No periods. No caps.
* I officially have a copy editing/design job in Crystal Lake. (Yay!)
* "Pixelated" (not to be confused with "pixilated") is not yet in Webster's standard dictionary. (Millennium edition, yes. Regular edition, no.)
* When it rains in Phoenix, it pours. Literally. Storms predicted for the rest of the week.
* The U.S. has made an agreement with the European Union to broaden the scope of traveler info it can get from airline passengers, including such data as philosophies, religion, sexual preference and trade-union affiliations. I can't find the link right now, so I'll return to this later.
* 1936's "Tell Your Children" (aka "Reefer Madness") was way over the top. Or was it? (Mwahaha...)
* Be kind to your cat. This one can predict death.
* It's "aka." No spaces. No periods. No caps.
Thursday, July 26, 2007
HEY, CHICAGOLAND!
I know somebody out there in Chicagoland wants a good ROOMMATE.
Come on, you know you do!
(By Chicagoland, I mean northwestish suburbs, but I'm flexible!)
PLEASE LET ME KNOW!
Come on, you know you do!
(By Chicagoland, I mean northwestish suburbs, but I'm flexible!)
PLEASE LET ME KNOW!
7/25/07
* Thank goodness for nice people who will help out a lost little girl at the gas station.
* Post Office workers are not supposed to tape packages for you. (It's a rule.)
* Live transparently. You'd be shocked (unless you happen to be an investigative journalist or extremely informed citizen) what you can find out about people though public records online. (And that's before you even step foot inside the offices!)
* Funny how -- the same way things never turn out the the way you think they will -- you never feel the way you think you should at the time you think is appropriate.
* Post Office workers are not supposed to tape packages for you. (It's a rule.)
* Live transparently. You'd be shocked (unless you happen to be an investigative journalist or extremely informed citizen) what you can find out about people though public records online. (And that's before you even step foot inside the offices!)
* Funny how -- the same way things never turn out the the way you think they will -- you never feel the way you think you should at the time you think is appropriate.
Wednesday, July 25, 2007
7/24/07
* "Change is inevitable whether we're seeking it out or watching it pass by."
* Asking someone for advice -- or just about a topic they care about/are good at -- is one of the best compliments.
* Compliment = nice thing to say to someone. (Complimentary = free.) Complement = goes well with
* "Free of charge" is redundant.
* Just saying hi, making a quick call or inviting someone along goes further than you think. (Haven't I mentioned this before?)
* Again, don't be alarmed. Game traffic takes f o r e v e r.
* Have you checked out the new look on the Chicago Tribune site?
* Think about what you want to do or where you want to be in five years. Really think about it.
Now think about where you are now. Who do you hang out with? How do you spend your time? What is at the top of your priority list? How do you think/hope those things will change five years from now?
Now think about where you were five years ago.
Weird, huh?
* Asking someone for advice -- or just about a topic they care about/are good at -- is one of the best compliments.
* Compliment = nice thing to say to someone. (Complimentary = free.) Complement = goes well with
* "Free of charge" is redundant.
* Just saying hi, making a quick call or inviting someone along goes further than you think. (Haven't I mentioned this before?)
* Again, don't be alarmed. Game traffic takes f o r e v e r.
* Have you checked out the new look on the Chicago Tribune site?
* Think about what you want to do or where you want to be in five years. Really think about it.
Now think about where you are now. Who do you hang out with? How do you spend your time? What is at the top of your priority list? How do you think/hope those things will change five years from now?
Now think about where you were five years ago.
Weird, huh?
Tuesday, July 24, 2007
7/23/07
* Men are required by federal law to remove their hats during the national anthem.
* This little guy is the youngest person to swim around Alcatraz Island.
* Every Braxton I've heard of/know now is a prodigy.
* Does the Edwards/Clinton femininity debate remind you of anything?
* One can hear the TV through the phones at work. (Yikes!)
* Monsoon refers to a change in winds, not a storm itself as many seem to think.
* Just saying hi goes a lot further than you think.
* Further = depth. Farther = distance.
* The NBA and NFL seem to be having some difficulties lately.
(Is this a normal thing, or am I just stumbling across more sports stuff?)
* It's amazing how you can feel completely competent one minute ...and the next, you don't know how to use the phone.
* This little guy is the youngest person to swim around Alcatraz Island.
* Every Braxton I've heard of/know now is a prodigy.
* Does the Edwards/Clinton femininity debate remind you of anything?
* One can hear the TV through the phones at work. (Yikes!)
* Monsoon refers to a change in winds, not a storm itself as many seem to think.
* Just saying hi goes a lot further than you think.
* Further = depth. Farther = distance.
* The NBA and NFL seem to be having some difficulties lately.
(Is this a normal thing, or am I just stumbling across more sports stuff?)
* It's amazing how you can feel completely competent one minute ...and the next, you don't know how to use the phone.
Monday, July 23, 2007
7/22/07
* EIU had a "bomb scare" the other day, and it ended up in The Republic. It's amazing how excited you get when you're far away and you hear/see mention of wherever "home" is. (The messy-looking package ended up being an application. I want to know if that kid got in...)
* The London Bridge is about four hours west of here.
* I've now seen grown men about three seconds away from plugging their ears and saying,"La la la la la" when discussion of the last Harry Potter book comes up. It's really quite amusing.
* The image described above makes me wonder if I'm missing something really good.
* Security guards probably have the best stories.
* Waiting for the phone to ring is a sickness that hits right around junior high and (I have a hunch) never goes away.
* The London Bridge is about four hours west of here.
* I've now seen grown men about three seconds away from plugging their ears and saying,"La la la la la" when discussion of the last Harry Potter book comes up. It's really quite amusing.
* The image described above makes me wonder if I'm missing something really good.
* Security guards probably have the best stories.
* Waiting for the phone to ring is a sickness that hits right around junior high and (I have a hunch) never goes away.
Sunday, July 22, 2007
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?
* 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?
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