Barb's Burblings

For a few days, my

For a few days, my computer has been running slowly. Not dial-up slow, but not its normal speedy self. So finally tonight I got fed up. I detached everything--I took out the cables from the modem and the router and my computer. Then I realized I couldn't remember where all the cords went. Whoops. So I spent a good 15 minutes trying various configurations. I finally got it. And now my computer is back to normal, thank God. I had forgotten how nice it feels.

I'm taking a class in Substantive Editing. The bad thing about it is that it's in Alexandria. The good thing about it is that the teacher let us out at 3:30. So it went from 9 to 3:30, with an hour for lunch and two 20 minute breaks. Excellent. I am also learning things, but yay for short days!

It was weird, though, getting back to Twinbrook. Spending the day in an unfamiliar environment always throws me off and when I return to my normal locale and get back to my routine, it still has an air of surrealness. But then again, this week is just going to stay somewhat odd, so I'll just accept it and move on.

Current song in my head:
Theme to The Andy Griffith Show

I don't know what it

I don't know what it is with ABC Family movies. It seems like in almost all of them, I start out thinking the lead guy isn't cute at all. But he always gets cuter and cuter as the movie goes on. I think in some of them it's because they actually have the guy go through a mini-makeover. But sometimes it's just because his personality is so cute. Ah, cute ABC Family movie guys. I salute you.

Let me just say that

Let me just say that I ROCK at miniature golf. Well, at least I did tonight. And I came in well under par, which was impressive. I'm sure it was just a fluke of some sort, but I'm going to allow myself to believe that it was my superior golfing abilities.

It's kind of sad that a mere four years after leaving Gettysburg (not even, really), I can't remember the names of a lot of the people I saw on a daily basis. In discussing the residents of Lamp Post during the summer of 2000, there was a lot of, "Oh right, that guy! What was his name?" and "He was awesome...do you remember his last name?" And yet at the same time, a lot of remembering of completely random people's names. So I don't know.

Current song in my head:
The 888-841-LEND ("That spells 'Lend'"!) jingle

So I'm stuck editing two

So I'm stuck editing two chapters of this book. Just to show you what I'm up against, the author, one more than one occasion, has pluralized "child" as "childs." Shoot me now.

In an upsetting turn of

In an upsetting turn of events yesterday, my boy Brian got injured during the O's win over Kansas City. Happily the x-rays came back negative and he's listed as day-to-day, which is good news. In an ironic twist, Hairston was also injured, about an inning before Brian (he's also day-to-day). The O's go from having too many second basemen to not enough. In good news for Royals fans, though, the Royals got 12 hits, which meant that fans get a dozen free donuts from Krispy Kreme. Lucky them!

I'm trying not to get frustrated at work, but...well, it's not working. I sent a book out to be copyedited two months ago and finally get it back today, uncompleted. And what was completed wasn't done terribly well. This book was supposed to be printed by the end of August, which is obviously not going to happen. And naturally it's generated more interest and pre-orders than pretty every other book we've done. Typical. I'm really looking forward to spending a week away from the office next week.

Current song in my head:
"This Love" by Maroon 5

My dad's famous! Well, at

My dad's famous! Well, at least Reuters did a little profile about him. It's about business stuff--no mention of the family, but still. Check it out!

My weekend came to an

My weekend came to an abrupt ending as I woke up and found that my alarm clock said it was 7:27. I found that disturbing, as I'm supposed to be in the office at 7:30. Eek. I managed to make it in by 8:15, so I was happy. I woke up an hour late, but got in 45 minutes late. I made up time.
 
Anyway, I saw The Producers this weekend. I liked it a lot, though I was by no means blown away by it. It was basically what I thought it would be--very funny, very enjoyable, and undeserving of holding the record for most Tonys won by a show. The leads tried too hard to be Nathan Lane and Matthew Broderick and the songs (other than the "Springtime for Hitler" sequence) weren't too impressive. Which is not to say that I didn't like it; I did. I had a great time. But it certainly isn't the be-all, end-all of Broadway.
 
Speaking of which, I'll be seeing Avenue Q next week and catching a Yankees game--my first at Yankee Stadium in at least 10 years. So I'm pretty excited for that. The mere thought of spending pretty much the entire week away from the office (I'm taking a copyediting class on Monday and Tuesday, and took Thursday and Friday off...I may just give in and take off Wednesday, too) is exciting. Whee!
 
But then, I'm very easily excited. I was excited about yesterday--a day with no obligations. And it was glorious. Everything I dreamed it would be.
 
Current song in my head:
"All Out of Love" by Air Supply

Along with my paycheck today

Along with my paycheck today came a letter saying that I had gotten a raise (the standard 3%; it's the new fiscal year so everything has gone into effect). But it also said that I was getting a bonus! So exciting! I wasn't expecting it. My performance review wasn't bad, but I didn't think it had merited a bonus. Not that I'm complaining. And it's not a ton of money, but I'm also not about to scoff at it. The only weird thing is that I didn't actually get it; usually it would come with the paycheck. Who knows.

Colin was very pleased with the new mousey I bought him for his birthday. And I'm happy because it's larger than the other ones he has, so it's less likely to slide under doors or the oven. So everyone wins!

Current song in my head:
"Boy Meets Girl" from Sunset Blvd.

Happy birthday Colin! My little

Happy birthday Colin! My little kitty cat is now 1 year old (or so; I estimated his birthday). So now I've gone through all of the pictures I took of him and dang, he was teensy tiny when I first got him. But at least he's mellowing out. He still bites and all, but not as much, which is encouraging.

In other news, congrats to the American League for winning the All-Star Game. I got far too much joy from watching Roger Clemens give up 6 runs in the first inning. Hey Clemens, you suck! It was also nice to see Miggy win the Home Run Derby on Monday.

I have also been managing to catch bits of I Love the 90s (though not much last night, what with The Amazing Race and Big Brother being on). I still feel that I Love the 80s and I Love the 80s Strikes Back have been the most successful of those series. First of all, they didn't have the stupid dancing baby all over the place. And I think it just worked better--perhaps the commentators were the right age at the time (they were too young in the 70s--most noted that they were infants for the early 70s; and the 90s didn't have a formative influence on them). I don't know. And it's going to be really weird once they get into the late 90s; I mean, that was only 5 years ago. Ah well.

Current song in my head:
"Sixteen Candles" by the Crests

I already wanted to go

I already wanted to go to Russia; seeing this page with pictures of the Moscow subway just makes me want to go more. Plus, it has the longest subway escalator in the world, at around 400 feet (the longest one in the Western hemisphere is at the Wheaton Metro stop).

It's sad how easily impressed people in my office are. We're all atwitter about the fact that they've put in a microwave on our floor. I'm going to chalk our happiness to the fact that it's Friday afternoon.

Current song in my head:
"Centerfield" by John Fogerty

Ever notice how sometimes it's

Ever notice how sometimes it's the stupidest things that really piss you off? The building I work in is locked until somewhere between 7:30 and 7:45, so those of us who get in early need a key to enter the building. At least two or three times a week, this woman who works for my company will be standing outside the door, waiting for someone to show up and let her in. One day I finally said to her, "You know, you could just get your own key," to which she replied that she did have a key, she just didn't feel like getting it out of her bag. Ever, I guess. Then what's the point of having the key? I guess part of it is that I like riding the elevator alone, so when I let her in, I know that I'll have to share it. But geez, woman. Just use the key. It can't be that much of a hassle. Lord knows I usually have to rummage around in my bag to find my key.

And to amuse you this Friday, Spider-Man 2 done with Legos. It's not spoilery, but it is fun.

Current song in my head:
"Are You Gonna Be My Girl" by Jet

Choose Your Do '04

Choose Your Do '04

I can't believe I missed

I can't believe I missed this! Yesterday was Ringo Starr's 64th birthday. So, in honor of Ringo...

When I get older losing my hair
Many years from now
Will you still be sending me a valentine
Birthday greetings bottle of wine

--John Lennon & Paul McCartney

And yes, you can expect to see this again on June 18, 2006, when Paul turns 64.

I don't think I mentioned

I don't think I mentioned it, but back around Memorial Day I put in an order for a Prius. Oh yes. It will be mine. (I ordered Seaside Pearl, if you're interested; that's the blue one.) Yeah, I gave in. I couldn't help myself. It's supposed to come in around Thanksgiving. Needless to say, everyone's Christmas present will consist of a ride in my brand new shiny car, as that will be all I can afford. Anyway, yesterday in the mail I got a cute little card confirming that I ordered (which is somewhat unnerving, coming a good 5 or 6 weeks after the fact) and an excellent Prius keychain. I *heart* Toyota.

Current song in my head:
The Hershey jingle--that is, the jingle for Hershey, PA ("Hershey! The sweetest place on Earth!"), not a jingle for Hershey chocolate

I survived the combined 16

I survived the combined 16 hours in the car with my parents and grandmother. We journeyed to Ohio and it was a pleasant time. We didn't do anything exciting, really. To give you an idea, I read over half of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. And I didn't start that until Saturday afternoon. We saw fireworks and played with sparklers. We saw the Crew beat Chicago and I got the autograph of a cute New Zealander. I slept on a couch in a frigid basement. I played with the cat and the dog. And then I took yesterday off to sleep in my own bed and relax with my cat. So that was nice.

Upon my return to work this morning, I was greeted by a coworker who had gone out and bought me some Brian Roberts baseball cards. Totally adorable. My coworkers rock and are total enablers. I remain unmotivated, but at least it's a short work week.

And for your enjoyment...Rock Paper Saddam. Tiger Hand!

Current song in my head:
"Mambo Italiano" by the Wiseguy Orchestra