Barb's Burblings

I don't know about a

I don't know about a terrific day, but I did get some nice affirmations. One of my coworkers sent me an email (and cc'd my boss) thanking me for a copyediting job (one that I do every other week), saying it was a good job, very professional, etc. Then, I talked to my tutoring boss, who said that she had just spoken with the mother of one of the girls I tutor, and she just loves me--the girl loves me, the mother loves me, they're very happy. So that's nice.

However, I have no grasp on my thought process or inner emotions. And I'm not feeling particularly rational, either. Oh well.

I'm excited because Band of

I'm excited because Band of Brothers is going to be on The History Channel starting April 11. Such a great movie, and so many cute boys! I'll probably wind up taping it, but that doesn't mean I'm going to delete it from my wish list.

Scorpio Daily Horoscope by Astrocenter.com

Scorpio Daily Horoscope
by Astrocenter.com

Today is a terrific day for you, dear Scorpio, in which you finally seem to have a grasp on your thought process and inner emotions. You will find yourself feeling extra sensitive and loving, and people will be drawn to you because of it. You will notice that you are able to look at your feelings in a rational, levelheaded manner instead being at the mercy of your wildly fluctuating emotions.

One can only hope.

I was tutoring tonight and

I was tutoring tonight and going over proper nouns with Ashley. We were doing an exercise in which a common name was given ("Sports team") and you had to provide a proper noun ("Yankees"). Except it was obvious the book it was from was from the 1970s/1980s. The example it gave was "TV Actress - Kate Jackson." In another exercise, it wanted you to properly capitalize CHiPs. I actually think it just wanted "CHIPS," but still.

And I'm very excited because apparently there's a shop just down the street that sells Converse. Whee! I don't need any right now, but it's good to know. But dude, they're getting expensive.

Current song in my head:
"Fields of Gold" by Eva Cassidy

You're Ireland! Mystical and

You're Ireland!
Mystical and rain-soaked, you remain mysterious to many people, and this makes you intriguing. You also like a good night at the pub, though many are just as worried that you will blow up the pub as drink your beverage of choice. You're good with words, remarkably lucky, and know and enjoy at least fifteen ways of eating a potato. You really don't like snakes.
Take the Country Quiz at the Blue Pyramid

Huh. Last time I took this, I was Costa Rica, described as, "You're about as peaceful as anyone on the planet, a real dyed-in-the-wool pacifist. And why not? No one really poses much of a threat to you and everything seems to work out, no matter how much violence and insanity rages all around you. So you relax and appreciate nature and culture while the rest of the world carries on their petty disagreements. If only everyone could follow your example..." Perhaps I'm a combination of the two.

I'm going through and finalizing

I'm going through and finalizing a chapter for one of my books, and the author kept changing "practitioner" to "therapist." However, he did so in all caps, so I kept having to retype "therapist." Which led me to hearing Darrell Hammond as Sean Connery in one of the SNL "Jeopardy" skits: "I'll take The Rapist for $200, Alex."

How are you today? OK.

How are you today? OK. Better than yesterday, but still not feeling great
What are you listening to right now? Nothing
What was the last thing you ate? Peanut butter (crunchy) and jelly (grape) sandwich
How is the weather right now? Cloudy but clearing up, warmish
Hair color: Brown
Eye color: Blue
Siblings and their ages: One sister, 29
Favorite food: Chinese, cornbread, spaghetti with clam sauce (when my mom makes it), cake
Living arrangement: Rent a 2 bdrm apartment that I share with a roommate and a cat
If you were a crayon what color would you be? Blue
First thing you notice about someone of the preferred gender? Eyes and smile
Are you too shy to ask someone out? Yes. I mean, let a boy know I like him? Riiiight.
Last movie you watched: Lucky 7; in the theater, Starsky & Hutch
Last movie you rented: Spellbound
Favorite day of the week: Friday
Favorite day of the year: Christmas
Summer or winter? Summer
Hugs or kisses? Depends on who with!
Chocolate or vanilla? Vanilla ice cream, but I do get in the mood for chocolate on occasion
What book are you reading? Princess Diaries IV: Princess in Waiting; The Amber Spyglass; Inventing a Nation: Washington, Adams, Jefferson; and Sweet Valley High #12: When Love Dies
Favorite team: Yankees
Favorite flower: Roses and tulips, I guess--I don't really have one
What are you doing tonight? Watching tv and going to bed early
Favorite smells: Cherry blossoms
Any piercings or tattoos? Both ears pierced, but I don't wear earrings that frequently
Last CD you bought: Rubber Soul by the Beatles
What time is bedtime? 11:30 (after The Daily Show)
Red or white wine? Neither
At what age was your first kiss? Embarrassingly old
What did you do for your last birthday? Went to the Cheesecake Factory and ate far too much food
If you could be anywhere right now, where would you be? On a beach, relaxing
Lifetime goal: Edit trashy romance novels and get married
What is the first thing you think of when you wake up in the morning? 9 more minutes...

But to keep you amused,

But to keep you amused, check the tour of Eric's new pad, listen to an ode from a girl to her gay boyfriend, or leave an anonymous note on the Internet.

I haven't been as prolific

I haven't been as prolific in my blogging of late. Mostly because work is insanely busy. My books all have to be at the printer at the end of April, and there are chunks of books that are still be copyedited. Plus, there's something going around the office and I'm not feeling so hot myself.

I am looking forward to going to Ohio this weekend, though I wish I could be out there longer. I'm looking forward to warmer weather, and getting out more. My life does seem to be in an upswing at the moment, though right now, I just wish I were in bed.

Current song in my head:
"Madame Guillotine" from The Scarlet Pimpernel

Happy 36th anniversary, Mom and

Happy 36th anniversary, Mom and Dad!

Hurrah! Jon Stewart signed on

Hurrah! Jon Stewart signed on to continue hosting The Daily Show through 2008! Four more years! Four more years!

Scorpio Daily Horoscope by Astrocenter.com

Scorpio Daily Horoscope
by Astrocenter.com

All matters related to romance, love, and marriage should go well today, dear Scorpio. You should be feeling especially warm and supportive, and intimate conversations come easily and naturally. Be sure to think before you speak, however. There is some danger of misunderstanding, and you don't want any arguments to upset this glorious day!

Huh. Well, that would be good. I don't know about "this glorious day," though, seeing how the day starting with me cleaning cat pee off the bathroom floor, then progressed to me sitting in a much-delayed Metro car (and arriving to work 35 minutes late). Although I guess it can only get better from there. At least I don't have to tutor tonight.

Current song in my head:
"And Your Bird Can Sing" by the Beatles

Apparently the way to meet

Apparently the way to meet foreign men is to just go to the airport and offer them a lift to wherever they're going. It worked for a Washington Post columnist. So maybe I should just figure out when the next flight from London (or Edinburgh or Glasgow, if possible) lands, go to the airport, and offer a random English/Scottish guy a lift. We'll see how that pans out.

Current song in my head:
"My Sharona" by the Knack

I am regular old boring

I am regular old boring Calvin
You don't get to travel much outside your neighborhood, but you still manage to get in plenty of trouble. When you're not acting up, you like to wax philosophical.

Which Calvin are YOU?

I made some maple &

I made some maple & brown sugar oatmeal for breakfast yesterday and realized that the smell of it was strangely familiar (and not just from when I had made it in the previous days). I finally realized that it's what we used to eat at Girl Scout camp, only for some reason they called it "hot cereal" instead of "oatmeal." Bizarre.

Current song in my head:
"You're Gonna Lose That Girl" by the Beatles

My parents' 36th (!) wedding

My parents' 36th (!) wedding anniversary is a week from today. I usually send them flowers of some sort, though last year my sister and I chipped in and got them a gift certificate to a really nice restaurant. I'm kind of bored with the flowers thing. Anyone have any other suggestions?

Scorpio Daily Horoscope by Astrocenter.com

Scorpio Daily Horoscope
by Astrocenter.com

Some strange but wonderful things could be happening to you now, dear Scorpio. Sheer luck could well be in the picture right now. Have you been wanting to move to a nicer place? If so, now you probably can. Have you been expecting a bonus or settlement? Today it should be yours! Even your dreams are apt to be vivid, powerful, and very beautiful! The only downside: if one of the breaks involves money, take care not to overspend!

I'm enjoying my horoscope of late.

"I am the Master

"I am the Master of the Universe!"
You are full of yourself, but you're so cool you
probably deserve to be. Rock on.


Which Weird Latin Phrase Are You?
brought to you by Quizilla

Scorpio Daily Horoscope by Astrocenter.com

Scorpio Daily Horoscope
by Astrocenter.com

You may be feeling a little unsure of what you believe in at the moment, dear Scorpio. Your mind is filled with questions and contradictions. Try to realize that the journey to finding your true purpose could take a lifetime. No one else expects you to have all the answers right now, so why should you? Relax a little and try and enjoy more of your moments spent with your loved ones. You may find out that this is really all you need.

This is just all-around good advice.

I had a very good

I had a very good weekend. In some ways it turned out differently from what I thought--there were things that happened that I certainly didn't think would happen (mostly good). Of course, in other ways it was a typical weekend in Gettysburg--there was the excessive eating, the drinking, the late-night LDs run, and the shopping at the outlets. I now find myself in that strange, post-fun-weekend place. It's probably not helped by the fact that I took a nap upon returning home (yeah, we got up at 8:30 this morning thanks to the brats running around and yelling outside the hotel room). I always feel kind of out of it after napping in the evening.

Wow, that was disjointed. Oh well. It seems that my thoughts are frequently disjointed after a weekend in Gettysburg. So that's another way that this is typical.

In other news, Kate Winslet is on In the Actor's Studio. She's awesome. I want her and Emma Thompson to be my big sisters--like, I want to be Margaret in Sense & Sensibility. How cool would that be?

Current song in my head:
"One in a Million" by Bosson

I was flipping through the

I was flipping through the channels earlier and discovered that at one point I could watch Family Feud in English or Spanish. Very exciting stuff.

This week's Friday Five 1.

This week's Friday Five

1. What was the last song you heard?
"Kyle's Mom is a Bitch" from South Park

2. What were the last two movies you saw?
In the theater? Starsky & Hutch and Girl With a Pearl Earring. I don't remember what movies I've just watched on tv or DVD or whatever.

3. What were the last three things you purchased?
I bought a bottle of Orange Slice yesterday. I bought lunch at Pizzeria Uno on Monday. And on Sunday I bought snacks for my book club (carrots, celery, veggie dip, cookies, and soda and juice).

4. What four things do you need to do this weekend?
Do laundry, get gas, tutor, and live it up in Gettysburg!

5. Who are the last five people you talked to?
Steve, Dave, Mary, Carrie, and Sheena.

You speak like Dom! I

You speak like Dom! I will now label you goofy,
naughty, and pervy.


Which LotR male cast member do you sound like?
brought to you by Quizilla

This makes sense, as am doomed to be Indistinguishable Backup Hobbit forever, even in matters of romance.

I'm having a good day

I'm having a good day (knock on wood). Plugging along at work. And it's a good change, because the past couple of days have been rather crappy. On Tuesday I had one of those moments--you know, the "I'm so stupid and I can't do my job and I suck!" moment. I messed something up with a book, and it isn't that major, really...just annoying. But it was a stupid mistake. But oh well. It happens. Particularly when you're juggling six books, five of which need to be done (i.e., off-press) by May 19. Work is stressful. But right now, I'm OK.

Anyway, I'm looking forward to the weekend, hanging out in Gettysburg and seeing the Poets and everyone at O'Rourke's. Whee! Also, it's payday, which is always nice. And the sun came out. It's still cold (despite a dream I had in which the weatherman said that we would be getting a heat wave), but at least it's sunny.

Also, happy birthday, Spike!

Current song in my head:
"You're Just What I Need" by Rufus King

Floor plan of the (real)

Floor plan of the (real) West Wing. I spent the whole time going, "So that's Josh's office, and that's Leo's..." and was surprised to see that the Vice President has an office in the West Wing. I thought his offices were in a different building.

I'm wearing my new, colorful,

I'm wearing my new, colorful, stripey socks. Looking at them makes me happy. Yay, stripey socks!

Kids today aren't the first

Kids today aren't the first to exhibit a lack of knowledge of history. This is a great article, discussing how testing at the beginning of the 20th century showed that students didn't know anything about history. There was concern that those kids wouldn't do too well in a world war. Now, a lack of knowledge about history is bad, but for some reason, this article makes me feel really vindicated. Of course, now I just bore my tutoring students by blathering about history (well, what do they expect when they ask a question about term limits?).

From one of the books

From one of the books I'm currently working on:

The fact is, no one knows the full picture of what may be influencing someone’s behavior at a particular time.

Ain't that the truth.

For the first time since

For the first time since the fall, last week I watched The West Wing. I did it because some Muppets would be on. It didn't really capture my attention (possibly because I have no idea what the plotlines for the season are)--I wound up flipping between it and the Concert For George on PBS. But I was rewarded with this, as recapped by Miss Alli on TWoP:

And now, the greatest and most random scene ever. We watch Big Bird's unmistakable feet make their way up the elegant hallway, in a wonderful parody of the shots they do on this show constantly that use feet as segues. At the end of the hallway is a bench, and at one end of the bench sits C.J. Big Bird approaches her. He turns and sits beside her. He looks over at her as she wearily scooches over a few inches to leave room for all the feathers. She brushes the hair out of her eyes and looks down at her papers. Apparently, her plan is to try to ignore Big Bird. Big Bird sits there, kind of bopping a little bit as he sometimes does, tapping his...hands, I guess?...on his chest. C.J. looks up at him, and he looks over at her. He looks away. She returns to her work. She uncrosses her legs. Defeated, she stands up and heads off stage left down the hallway, passing in front of him as she goes. And just as she does, she dips down just a couple of inches, trying not to be taller than the seated Bird. It's brilliant, for absolutely no reason.

Of course, it was followed by a scene involving Elmo. Blech. Bring back Grover!

I have this odd feeling

I have this odd feeling that my life is in limbo, which is kind of funny, because it really isn't. There may be a few things that have the potential to change at some point in perhaps the not-too-distant future (mmm, vagueness), but it's not like I'm going through some upheaval. It's just this feeling of unsettledness. Of being unsettled. Whatever. You know what I mean. Maybe if, for once, I just concentrated on my work, I would stop thinking about my life so much.

Anyway, another game for your enjoyment.

Current song in my head:
"Got To Get You Into My Life" by the Beatles (the Revolver addiction continues)

I got an 8 out

I got an 8 out of 10 on this quiz testing how well-read you are. I could credit my fine education as an English major at Gettysburg College, or I could credit my superb guessing abilities.

It is just glorious out

It is just glorious out today. It should always be like this.

I realized this week that

I realized this week that one of the headlights of my car had gone out. So today I was all empowered and got a replacement headlight. I went out and after much trouble, I managed to get the old headlight out and the new one in. But when I turned the headlights on, the new one wasn't working. I don't know whether that's because I put it in wrong, or whether something is wrong mechanically. Argh! I don't want to take it to a mechanic for this. I do not want to put more money into my car.

Interesting column about being religious

Interesting column about being religious and liberal.

This week's Friday Five What

This week's Friday Five

What was...

1. ...your first grade teacher's name?
Mrs. Miller. It took me a good 5 minutes to remember that. Please don't ask me my kindergarten teacher's name. (Or names, really; I had two kindergarten teachers, as the first one left abruptly partway through the year.) I could remember my second and third grade teachers' names fairly readily, though.

2. ...your favorite Saturday morning cartoon?
Hmm. Maybe Kidd Video. When I was slightly older, it was Garfield & Friends.

3. ...the name of your very first best friend?
I think my first absolute best friend was Andrea Gonzalez. In New Jersey I had a number of good friends (Shannon Buckley, Carrie Taillon, Elizabeth and Jessica Mattfield), but I don't think I considered any of them my "best friend."

4. ...your favorite breakfast cereal?
I was very fond of Cookie Crisp. My sister and I spent an entire vacation in St. Croix subsisting almost entirely on Cookie Crisp and McDonald's.

5. ...your favorite thing to do after school?
I liked going to the YMCA, but I hated swim lessons (though I did like--still do--swimming). And there were a lot of kids in my neighborhood, so we all played a lot. But I don't remember what I did when I got home from school when I was that young.

Both of my Orioles boyfriends

Both of my Orioles boyfriends are having injury/health problems. That's not good. Here's hoping they're ready by the time the season starts. But it was neat to hear Brian mentioned in the sports news on the radio the other day.

Some Texans are boycotting Girl

Some Texans are boycotting Girl Scouts and Girl Scout cookies because Girl Scouts have endorsed a sex education program put on by Planned Parenthood. Parents have pulled their girls from scouting so their daughters can be shielded from "immoral" teachings, i.e., learning about things like homosexuality, masturbation, abortion, and the proper way to use a condom. Argh. This pisses me off. A lot.

The ring has been found,

The ring has been found, as has the other watch. So now I have two nearly-identical watches. I should've gotten a different style when I was watch-buying. Oh well. Better safe than sorry, I guess.

I stopped at a light

I stopped at a light on my way home from work today, and since it was so gorgeous out, I had the sunroof open and all my windows down. As I sat there, I thought I heard a song I recognized. I picked it out as "Material Girl" by Madonna and glanced over at the next car to see who was blasting Madonna. It was a 4Runner, being driven by a large Hispanic man. I kind of smiled, and continued waiting at the light. Just as the light turned green, the next song came on: "I Will Survive" by Gloria Gaynor.

I couldn't cope with life

I couldn't cope with life without a watch, so on Saturday I went out and bought another one. This morning I discover that the new watch is gone from my dresser (Colin is very much on The List right now). I did manage to find the first watch under the stove, but the second watch and ring remain lost. Argh. Life was easier before Colin discovered the joys of the top of my dresser.

In other news, I bought Revolver last week and I'm, like, addicted to it. Fantastic album. And it has "Here, There, and Everywhere," one of my favorite love songs. AND an ode to staying in bed.

Current song in my head:
"Eleanor Rigby" by the Beatles

I am not a risk-taker.

I am not a risk-taker. I fear change and try to avoid it at all costs. I've spent most of my adult life (i.e., life after high school) doing my best to keep my life steady, and to divert from my patterns and routines as little as possible. Sure, I've moved twice after college, but I've stayed within a 10-mile radius. I am not an ambitious person. I have a habit of wanting things to happen to me, for me--I don't want to make things happen. I fear what might happen. I fear that my life won't be as good as it was before. I fear being hurt. I guess everyone does. But there comes a moment when you realize that nothing has happened. And there comes a time when you realize that you need to try to make things happen. It may not pan out. You may get hurt. But I guess life is about trying. Screw what Yoda says; there is a try.

Helpful Aramaic phrases if you

Helpful Aramaic phrases if you go see The Passion of the Christ.

I was disappointed in the

I was disappointed in the Oscars last night. Not a single upset, nary an outburst, not even too many outrageously bad outfits (OK, Uma Thurman's was pretty dreadful). I enjoyed Lord of the Rings: Return of the King, but don't think that it should've won everything it was nominated for. The broadcast had some funny moments, but nothing really stands out. There's really not much fodder for water cooler chat this morning. But at least it didn't go past 1 a.m., as in years past.

Now I'm trying to get into work, and failing miserably. A total lack of motivation. I've been here 3 hours and all I've managed to do is half-heartedly return some emails and organize some files. Pathetic. I spent a lot of the weekend asleep; I think my body is fighting something off. Or it's in withdrawal, as my doctor forgot to call the pharmacy to refill my prescription.

Current song in my head:
Music from Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World, which has a lovely score