Barb's Burblings

I’m going to Miami tomorrow.

I’m going to Miami tomorrow. And no, I probably won’t come back with a tan. Spending four days in a convention center isn’t really conducive to tanning. I’m going to AOTA’s conference, and will be covering it on our website. I can tell you that I’ll be writing pieces on an institute about IDEA, a session about demonstrating OT effectiveness, our president’s address, and the business meeting. So look out for those. It’ll be fun fun fun. I’m actually just psyched for having my own hotel room for five nights! It’s so the little things in life that make me happy. Well, it should be interesting, if nothing else.

Current song in my head:
“Miami” by Will Smith

Time passes slowly. I’m plugging

Time passes slowly. I’m plugging through work, churning out letters to authors, running small errands. Only 2½ hours have passed. I enjoy the music I have playing. I still cough and my nose still runs, but it isn’t as bad as it was before. I look forward to relaxing, to sleeping in, to staying in, to going out, to volunteering. I feel guilt over not going to the gym, but lack motivation to go, and justify it by using the fact that I am, in fact, still hacking and coughing far more than is healthy. I contemplate going to a conference, to writing under tight deadlines, to spending a lot of time with people from work. I feel nervous about what I’ll do there—not the work part, but the social parts. Will I eat alone? Will I be stuck with Cindy far too much? I think about Kim, whether she fits in, what it’s like to have a supervisor who remains solely in the realm of bossdom and doesn’t blur into the realm of friendship. I look around my cube and want to organize my files, long to clear out my email and Krishni’s email and get it all filed away. I realize this means losing the files boxes next to my computer, which I’ve been using as a really handy extra surface. I wonder whether anything can really get put in order. Nothing can stay orderly forever.

Current song in my head:
“If My Heart Had Wings” by Faith Hill

Did I mention Paul looked

Did I mention Paul looked really cute in jeans and a red shirt? Did I mention that he joked about being wild, staying up until 11 playing Cranium, and saying that the final question when he played was “Who is the oldest Beatle?” (And how weird would that be? I mean, you’re just going along, playing Trivial Pursuit or something, and one of the questions is about you.) Did I mention the really moving tributes to George and John?

Okay, I’ll shut up now.

Current song in my head:
“Here, There and Everywhere” by the Beatles

I saw Paul McCartney. I

I saw Paul McCartney. I saw Paul McCartney! [insert girly shrieking here, in manner of girls at Ed Sullivan Show] It was awesome. It kicked all kinds of ass—left, right, and center. He played for 2½ hours. He played Beatles: “Let It Be”, “Hey Jude”, “Can’t Buy Me Love”, “Hello Goodbye”, “Blackbird” “Back in the USSR”, “Carry That Weight”, “I Saw Her Standing There”, “Lady Madonna”, “All My Loving”, “Here There and Everywhere”, “The Long and Winding Road”, “The End”. He played Wings: “Jet”, “Band on the Run”, “C Moon”, “Live and Let Die”. He played McCartney: “Maybe I’m Amazed”, “Freedom”, “Lonely Road”, “Driving Rain”. He played “Something” on a ukulele. He played many other songs as well.

He was cute and funny and energetic. When he played “All My Loving”, “Can’t Buy Me Love”, and “Something”, there were montages of the Beatles—arriving in the United States, clips from A Hard Day’s Night, random images. And it was just so cool seeing this clips, these really familiar clips, and looking at the stage and being like, “That’s Paul McCartney. Right there. Live. I’m in the same room as him!” We had pretty good seats, but I brought my binoculars so I could see him up close without having to use the Jumbotron screens.

In other news, I thought that going to the concert miraculously cured my horrible hacking cough. It was under control during the concert (Paul’s mere presence must have kept it in check), but came back this morning. It’s not as bad as it has been, but is still there.

The new boss, Kim, is okay. She’s pretty much kept to herself these past few days and seems nice enough, but I haven’t had a chance to get to know her. But she, Suzanne, and I are going out to lunch tomorrow, so hopefully things will improve. I don’t need to be friends with my boss, but I miss being able to pop in and gab about…pretty much anything. Kim seems nice, but I don’t know that I’ll be able to do that with her. I’ll keep you updated.

Current song in my head:
“C Moon” by Wings

I’ve moved on from a

I’ve moved on from a headache and clogged head to a runny nose and a hacking cough. But other than that, I feel fine. Oh, that and the heart attack I had last night when there was this HUGE clap of thunder. At midnight. Like, on the nose.

On Friday night, Brynda (a co-worker) had a party. I went to the beginning, but had to leave so I could go to see Mamma Mia, which totally rocked. But I’m sad I couldn’t stay for the party. Krishni showed up and everyone hung out and it sounds like a lot of fun. And I had a lot of fun at the show. Dammit, I want to have my cake and eat it, too!

New boss started this morning. It’s going well. Of course, I’ve only met with her for maybe five minutes. So we’ll see.

Tomorrow night: Paul McCartney! Yay! I love you, Paul!

Current song in my head:
“Waterloo” by ABBA (Downside of seeing Mamma Mia: ABBA songs stuck in your head, possibly for the rest of your life.)

How am I today? I've

How am I today? I've been better. Physically, I don't feel well at all. I don't know how much of this is due to the insanely high pollen count, but the cause isn't really what concerns me. I have a runny nose. My head feels all clogged up. I have a headache. And a sore throat (which I blame on the construction in my building--all that dust can't be good for me). And, for some bizarre reason, my left foot hurts. The top of it. It makes no sense. So clearly I need to crawl into a hole and hide until the rain comes, cools everything off, and makes the pollen go away.

In addition, I found out that a new Books Editor has been hired. Her name is Kim and she starts Monday. Monday! Ack! I've gotten very used to my life here without a direct supervisor. It was nice. Kim seemed very suited for the job, but she also seems very...type A personality. Very strong and assertive. A bit intimidating, which I know I'll get over. Suzanne really isn't happy. She wanted the other person we talked to to get the job. Oh well. I definitely think Kim is good for the job...it'll just be interesting seeing what it's like working for her. Monday!

And, you know what? The vacuuming and paint fumes are doing nothing for my headache or general health overall.

Current song in my head:
"It's Been Awhile" by Staind

take the which one

take the which one of the trading spaces cast are you? quiz!

I'm slightly traumatized by this. Jody was Vern--lucky.

Last night I was sitting

Last night I was sitting at the kitchen table doing work. The sun had pretty much set, and it was overcast. You knew the rain was coming. It was in the 70s and all the windows were open. It was quiet in the house. I could hear birds chirping mutely, and watched as the guy across the street worked on a piece of garden, then mowed his lawn. Every now and then I caught whiffs of someone grilling. I can’t believe it’s April; last night had such a summer feel to it.

Current song in my head:
“Crash Into Me” by the Dave Matthews Band

From a 1773 New London

From a 1773 New London (CT) almanac:

"The Mental and Personal Qualifications of a Husband:

* A tolerable Ear for Mufic, but no Fiddler. I must repeat it again, no fiddling Hufband!
* Stupid by no Means
* No great objection to 6 feet"

It works for me. Stupid fiddling husbands. Except Tom. It's okay that he fiddled.

Current song in my head:
"Hey Leonardo (She Likes Me for Me)"

So last night I had

So last night I had this thing at the Smithsonian from 7-9. I figured I could leave work, go home, grab dinner, then make it to the Metro to go downtown. However, I wound up working until 5:30, which effectively eliminated the possibility of going home. Luckily I had food here, so I ate at my desk, and left the building a little after 6. When I stepped into the elevator, who was there but the Deputy Executive Director! YES!!! Scoring points with the powers that be. And I just now used the word “penultimate” in an email. I’m on a roll, baby.

Current song in my head:
“Kiss Me” by Sixpence None the Richer

Things that piss me off:

Things that piss me off: People who post on TWoP and make arguments that I completely disagree with, then say something completely unrelated, making it hard to lash out at this idiot. Case in point: This person with very bad grammar was making very stupid arguments in the Jess vs. Dean debate on the Gilmore Girls forum, then ended a post with, "Sorry for the multiple posts today. I have a life, I really do. It's just that it's very late, I can't sleep, and my friend is dying. And those cancer websites suck. Wherever you are: Many, many thanks to keenai for pointing out that thread. :)I appreciate it.
Night, all." Umm. I'm sorry your friend is dying, but I still think you're an idiot who can't make a decent argument to defend your point of view.

Right. Had to vent.

I'm glad it's sunny today.

I'm glad it's sunny today. It puts me in a better frame of mind. Not that I was in a bad frame of mind, but I was just...off...for the past few days. I still feel slightly strange, and I don't know why. And I can't really describe it, either. And clearly none of this makes sense. Oh well. I feel slightly overwhelmed by work, but I think that's mostly because my inbox is extremely unorganized. I have a docent appreciation thing tonight at the Smithsonian, which will be strange. I foresee a lot of awkward milling around. But hopefully it'll involve free food. That would be happy. I think it's that April is a busy month for me--the docent thing tonight, the actual docenting, seeing Mamma Mia, seeing Paul McCartney, going to Conference...Plus, meeting with people for the Books Editor position. I guess it just seems like life is chaotic. Which it is. I'm just used to a quieter life.

Current song in my head:
"If You Leave"

Today has been Random Day.

Today has been Random Day. I got into the office only to find the doorway into my area blocked by construction workers. I was called into a 9:30 meeting about budget matters. At 10 I had to interview someone for the position of my supervisor. The lights went out in the middle of the interview. Then there was a fire drill. Then there was the chatting about the interviewee. The working for an hour. Then lunch. But the lunchroom was closed, so I had to eat at my desk. Then there was another interview. Then more chatting. Add all the construction going on and the weird budget assignments, and the day is just strange. But it’s 3, and things are calmer now. Except the workers are still here. They usually leave at 2. Hmm. They need to go away and stop with the sawing.

Current song in my head:
“Only Time” by Enya

Which of the Disney Princesses

Which of the Disney Princesses are you?

You are a true bookworm and dream of a life better than the simple, quiet one you lead now. Your good looks can attract the town jerks, but you manage to ignore them most of the time. Sometimes you feel like you're surrounded by idiots. So what are you waiting for? You don't need your father to be kidnapped to get out and see the world. Although you can be stubborn, you're also very compassionate and see beyond people's façades.

Each week on the Jack

Each week on the Jack Diamond Morning Show, the group talks to either Sam Donaldson or Cokie Roberts. Today they were talking to Sam and were discussing the problems with Israel and Palestine. Jack, per usual, was being a total jackass. He’s all, “Israel should just go in and kill all the Palestinians in the Church of the Nativity.” And Sam goes, “Yeah, that’s a wonderful idea, just kill them all. Because they tried that 60 years ago, and it didn’t work. And it's all that easy.” He was all sarcastic and totally shot Jack down. I think I love Sam Donaldson.

I don’t understand how people think major world conflicts can be seen in black and white. I had major problems with Bush’s statements last fall that countries had to choose whether to be with the U.S. or against us. Very few countries (if any, other than the Taliban in Afghanistan) condoned what happened on September 11. But that doesn’t mean that they have to agree with everything the United States chose to do afterward.

It’s not like a person can look at what’s happening in the Middle East and say, “Israel is right” or “Palestine is right.” I realize that a lot of people do that, but in my mind, that just makes them uninformed. Neither side is completely right; neither side is completely wrong. It’s a very complex situation. I know that the U.S. has been a major supporter of Israel, but does that mean we should support them invading Palestinian towns, refusing to let ambulances in? I feel bad for the Palestinians, but I don’t think people should go into crowded public places and blow themselves up.

Stupid world. It’s so confusing. But people who refuse to admit that it’s confusing, people who insist on only seeing one side of a story, just piss me off.

Current song in my head:
“Crocodile Rock” by Elton John

Today was definitely one of

Today was definitely one of those days where I just did not want to get out of bed. My bed was very very warm and cozy and my room was a bit chilly. Plus I was having good (though bizarre) dreams. Plus, it’s Monday. Who ever wants to get out of bed on Monday? Is it wrong that I start each day by asking myself how long it is until the weekend?

Apparently my life is very much intruding on my dreams. I had some very strange dreams last night (involving, among other things, a girl who was on the same prescription as me dying because she took the prescription, then drank alcohol). But the main one that got me thinking was one where I was at some sort of casino and I was with this guy and he kept betting really high amounts of money. So I finally am like, “Why are you betting so much? You’re going to lose it all!” and I’m really concerned and upset. And he looks at me, and goes through a little speech that culminates with “I love you.” It all made sense at the time and was very sweet and we kissed and awww. Except he was being chased by Jean Reno, who was a cop. Clearly I’ve gone into a phase of being attracted to morally ambiguous men. This is what I get for watching French Kiss and liking Kevin Kline, watching Buffy and liking Spike, and watching Jesus Christ Superstar and liking Judas. I need help. And a boyfriend.

Current song in my head:
“Stuck in a Moment” by U2