Barb's Burblings

Ffft! Hiss!

To make your Friday go a little faster...we move from elf bowling to cat bowling. It takes a little while to load, but is worth it.

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I finished a very fluffy chick lit novel tonight so thought I'd try to make my brain do a little bit of work and I picked up Undaunted Courage by Stephen Ambrose. My dad had lent it to me ages ago (I want to say it was last summer or maybe last Christmas) and I thought it'd be a good idea to return it when I'm in Oregon in December. I opened the book and found on the inside cover of the book my dad's signature and the date he got it (12/25/2002; I think I may have been the one to get it for him that Christmas). And for some reason I was really moved. I guess it was just one of those "I miss my parents" moments. And it was kind of funny and touching that he signed it in the first place.

Keeping my fingers crossed

From my horoscope's mouth to God's ears:

Scorpio Daily Horoscope
by Astrology.com

You'll be very, very busy for the next couple of days--but for once, that won't translate into stressed, hectic or frenzied. Think of this as your opportunity to get a lot done with a great big smile on your face.

Belated autumnal equinox

It wasn't until I pulled into the driveway of one of my tutorees that I realized that fall had arrived. The driveway was covered in fallen leaves. Sure, I had noticed some leaves were falling and the leaves on the trees were starting to change, and I certainly had noticed it was chillier...but today is when it really hit me. I drove home, really seeing the different colors on the trees. It was good.

I'm feeling slightly out of it at the moment, due mostly in part to an obnoxious sore throat. It's very odd; it's less "sore throat" and more "stabbing pain in the throat when I swallow." I napped after tutoring in hopes it would go away; didn't work. But other than the throat thing, I feel fine. Weird.

And naturally...I'm doing work. Good times.

Current song in my head:
"Being Alive" from Company (Thanks to the PBS Broadway series this week, I've been listening to more cast recordings than normal. If you missed you, you should check it out when it replays--it was fantastic.)

The Race is on

The Amazing Race 6 will premiere on Tuesday, November 16, at 9 p.m. In a move to screw me over, they're airing it against Scrubs. Typical.

Happy birthday, now give us some money

I can always tell that my birthday is approaching by the annual Receiving of the Life Insurance Bill. When I was born, my parents took out a life insurance policy on me with Mutual of New York, and the payment is due on my birthday each year. Once I graduated from college, my parents told me I had to start paying it (or I could cancel, I guess, but it really isn't much). And today the bill came. So it's like, "Yay, my birthday!" but also, "Man, a bill."

Operation Clark County

The British newspaper The Guardian has undertaken Operation Clark County, in which readers who provide their email address will receive the name and address of a voter in Clark County, Ohio.

Writing to a Clark County voter is a chance to explain how US policies effect you personally, and the rest of the world more generally, and who you hope they will send to the White House. It may even persuade someone to use their vote at all.

As you can imagine, there are a number of Ohioans who aren't too happy with this effort. Here's a selection of responses; some supportive, most not so much. It's an intriguing concept, but I can't imagine how I'd react if I got such a letter. It does give off an air of arrogance.

My favorite of the responses:

My dear, beloved Brits,
I understand the Guardian is sponsoring a service where British citizens write to Americans to advise them on how to vote. Thank heavens! I was adrift in a sea of confusion and you are my beacon of hope!

Set me straight, folks!
Dayton, Ohio

In any case, this only helps make me think that my trip over there (England, not Ohio) should be very intriguing.

The return of Sheldon

As I reached the top of the escalator at the Bethesda Metro this morning, whom am I greeted by but my old friend, Sheldon? That's right. Good ol' Shel is apparently making the rounds of the Montgomery County Metro stations. Good for him. I'm pulling for him.

Anyway, I also just want to say that my stress level is already high enough; the ALCS is doing nothing to help me.

I know who I'm voting for

Prediction: Apathy

Scorpio Daily Horoscope
by Astrology.com

Your current philosophy can be summed up in just one word: whatever. Well, good for you. Let the universe handle the details, and give your ordinarily intense little self a well-deserved day off.

Heh. That's frequently my philosophy.

I *heart* Jon Stewart

If you missed Jon Stewart's appearance on Crossfire today, you really missed out. (Transcript here.) Basically, Jon ripped into the hosts, calling them partisan hacks and saying they were hurting the nation. It was great. If you watch The Daily Show on a regular basis, Jon's frustration with the behavior of traditional media outlets is obvious. (Sample Jon quote about the media [not from today's Crossfire]: "The press has bravely and nobly eroded the public trust. What I'm advocating is the media come back and work for us again. ... The bias of the media is not liberal. It's lazy and sensationalist.") And it was wonderful seeing him express himself in this format. Too bad Robert Novak, Douchebag of Liberty, wasn't there.

It was a Jon Stewart day. I worked a half day, leaving early to stand in line to get his autograph at Politics & Prose. It was cold and (eventually) wet, but so worth it. We commiserated over the woes of being left-handed. It was a brief encounter but I'll treasure it always.

Here are some other articles about his run-in with Tucker Carlson.

Those nasty Canadians

Great article about the evil, heckling ways of Toronto Blue Jays fans.

"I remember one lady said ‘Well you look like a very nice young man, but as a baseball player, you are seriously lacking in the skills it takes to beat our Blue Jays.’"

Self-esteem boost

Chris is currently out of the office for medical reasons, but is checking email. While reading The Book From Hell, I was like, "Hey, I wonder if doing a book on XXX would be a good idea." So I emailed her with my idea and today I got an email from her saying, "Great idea! Here's what to do to look into it more. What do you think about doing this and this with it?" Anyway, it gave me a lift to see that hey, I had a good idea.

And no, it's not something I need to (read: have time to) work on right now. Thank God.

Sheldon

It's once again that time, the time when candidates for office stand outside the Metro in the morning and hand out literature and shake hands. This morning it was Sheldon Fishman, who's running for the Board of Education. First a volunteer handed me a flyer and then there was Sheldon himself! The problem is that the only thing I could think about as he introduced himself was the scene in When Harry Met Sally where they discuss Sally's amorous past with a man named Sheldon ("Ride me, big Sheldon"). And...this isn't a man that you want to think that sort of thing about. Though, from his literature, he seems like he'd be a good addition to the Board of Education.

Current song in my head:
"The Reflex" by Duran Duran

Jigga wha?

Only in a world created by David E. Kelly could Freddie Prinze, Jr., play William Shatner's son.

Boiling point

I'm at a point where I'm so stressed by my job and life and everything that I feel like I could at any minute either punch a wall or burst into tears. It depends on my mood at any given moment which way I'll turn. I think I just need to go into a sensory deprivation chamber or something for a while. Or at least just stay in bed. And not have to deal with...anything.

Weekend update

Well, let's see how I did.

1. Completed in a cleaning frenzy on Sunday, including vacuuming the apartment at 10:30 at night.
2. Completed. And don't worry Jody, I didn't get rid of any classics.
3. Completed. Email received Monday requesting an explanation for delay in publication of Book From Hell proved to be a good motivator.
4. Completed. Mmm, bed.
5. Completed. No longer have money.
6. Completed. And discovered I've tutored enough hours that I'm getting bumped up to the next pay level. Whee!
7. Didn't work. I even wound up watching the Braves-Astros game last night (well, sort of; it was muted as I proofread).
8. Didn't complete, as I felt it was too warm for winter clothes. Will probably make switch this weekend.
9. Completed. Many impatient middle schoolers, so that was a joy.
10. Completed. Well, the hostels and itinerary part, anway. Still am trying not to get too excited. I still have to wait 3 whole weeks.
11. Didn't complete. But I did shove a bunch of stuff into a photo album. Just needs organization.
12. Tried my best but legs are still skeptical.
13. Did manage to watch lots of television, but got dressed every day. Oh well.

I also decorated the apartment for Halloween, got the license plates for my car, saw I Heart Huckabees, and baked cookies. So it was a pretty full weekend. Now I'm trying not to stress about work. I just wish that was working.

Current song in my head:
"California Dreamin'" by the Mamas and the Papas

Happy birthday

Today would've been John Lennon's 64th birthday. I'll spare you the lyrics to "When I'm 64" (you can go here for that). It's so sad...you can only imagine what he would've gone on to do.

And a big happy 27th birthday to my boy, Brian!

Toyota's beeyotches

I got an email from my mom saying that she just bought a new car: a Camry. That means that everyone in my family now owns a Toyota. I have a Prius, my mom has a Camry, my dad has an Avalon, and my sister and brother-in-law each have a Corolla. Wouldn't it be cute if we all got together with our cars? Mind you, that'll never happen, what with two in Oregon, two in Ohio, and one in Maryland. But it would still be adorable.

Gift suggestion

Just a reminder that my birthday is a few short weeks away, and the Aladdin special edition DVD just came out...only $16 at Target...

Now let's see what actually gets done

On my to-do list for this weekend:

1. Clean bathroom. No, make that "Clean whole apartment."
2. Go through books. Weed out books I don't absolutely have to have. Try to convince myself that it's acceptable to get rid of the classics.
3. Proofread The Book From Hell (2 chapters).
4. Sleep.
5. Pay credit card bill and make first car payment (only 59 to go!).
6. Tutor (2 students).
7. Try not to get too involved in the pennant race.
8. Switch from summer to winter clothing.
9. First Ladies tour.
10. Book hostels for upcoming London trip. Create loose itinerary and figure out what I want to do when I'm there. Figure out what shows are playing and what I need to see. Restrain myself from packing three weeks in advance.
11. Buy photo album. Contemplate updating photo albums.
12. Convince legs that I'm not trying to murder them by elliptical.
13. Watch lots of television and movies. Mmm. Possibly spend one day entirely in pajamas in order to accomplish this.

After the boys of summer have gone

Kevin Youkilis flied out to David Newhan and the Orioles' 2004 season was over. And I'm sad. It was nice seeing the O's end on an up note, beating the Red Sox 3-2 (and also taking the season series, 10-9).

It was a good game for Brian, who got his 50th double of the season (at his last at-bat, no less). He had the most doubles this season in the American League, and was only three doubles behind Lyle Overbay of the Brewers and one behind Albert Pujols of the Cardinals. He also stole a base, his 29th on the season. He was fourth in the American League for those.

Overall, I'd say it was a good season. The O's didn't finish fourth in the AL East; they pulled themselves up to 3rd. They came within spitting distance of .500, which they haven't done in a while. And man, were they fun to watch. I love the Yankees as a team, but I feel like I know the O's more. And they're a great team, full of good guys: Newhan, Javy, Miggy, Raffy.

At final count, I attended 12 games at Camden Yards and 1 at Yankee Stadium. They went 5-8, with a bunch of close games and one going into extra innings. I have a lot of fond memories of the time I've spent at the Yard. And I'm looking forward to returning there next season. I plan on going to some Washington games, sure...but the O's are my guys.

Now it's on to the postseason and cheering on the Yankees. Who knows...if the O's manage to acquire a good starting pitcher and maybe a hard hitting first baseman, maybe next year's postseason will include Baltimore.

Well played, Orioles. Well played. I'll miss you.

I won on Jeopardy, baby

Some not-so-bright person decided that Friday afternoon would be the perfect time for a group meeting. Because there's nothing I want to do more before the weekend than sit around and discuss things that don't directly affect me. Anyway, we got to play games. And when I say "got to" I mean "were forced to." One was sort of role-playing, "A member calls you and blah blah blah. What do you do?" The other was a version of Jeopardy. I was already kind of annoyed because we were running behind and I have a boatload of proofing to do (I should've brought some to the meeting; I mean, right now I'm just checking for dropped copy--that doesn't require thought, people). And there turned out to be some super-competitive people there. Like, scarily so. But it's okay, because my team won. We totally kicked butt and won in the Final Jeopardy round, thanks to me. Woot! Free ice cream!

Current song in my head:
"Some Fantastic" by Barenaked Ladies