I doubt this will matter...

FYI-

NMU screwed me pretty hard when they shut down my email and deleted me from the server. I lost a lot of filed emails and I'm feeling bitter about it. A warning would have been appreciated. A few days notice, perhaps? Whatever.

My new main address (for better or for worse) is nearly identical to the old university one. The Alumni Association claims life-long "free" email. It's just like the last, but you squeeze - alumni. - between the @ and the nmu

Does that make sense? Does it also make sense why I'm not just retyping my full address here? Good. Now send me mail!

Update & a Movie

First, the update...

Went South on Friday, for dinner and the bar. The bar was great, at first, as the owner ('s son?) was in a fab mood and kept giving us great beers to try. "We aren't selling this yet, but I'll just stick it in the cooler for ya and let the short guy know, okay?"; "This one's great - I only have a case -we aren't allowed to sell it yet- but you gotta try it"

We likely would have left about midnight had the door not opened for 5 GI alumni to come tromping through. The night turned into an akward reunion of two groups that didn't really hang out in HS. We talked, caught up, drank beer, and thankfully ended the night with only a "good to see you," and without the nasty "call me! we'll hang out!" that tends to rise up in the holiday season when coupled with enough alcohol.

The holiday was good, as most holidays are here. I have one of those families with just enough drama to make it damn fun, but not so much to land you in therapy Jan 2. As per tradition, I got drunk on the eve with delightfully lame drinks as the jell-o shots, Hot Damn and Apple Pucker. My cousins' kids have all aged dramatically since, what?, Thanksgiving? Dunno... it was disturbing though, for sure. The gifts were good, the food was good, the sleeping late was really good...

Then the Movie Review:

Mum got some new movies for her gifts. March of the Penguins (as good as they said it was, although the "making of" clip on the Extras menu was nearly a repeat of the film. Bummer.), a couple of titles I've forgotten, and Mr. & Mrs. Smith.

Wow.

I remember that one getting really good reviews, but assumed it was because it had Pitt and Jolie in it, nothing more. I mean, there are certain people who just get great reviews no matter what, and these were only 2 such examples. But really? That was a damn funny film! The plot was simple, but well executed; the characters were likeable and relatable (in the home, anyway). It got silly when Jolie goes to work -seriously, that was a little too much, but the director didn't sit on that part long. For a movie that I would have expected to be drama, action, adventure, I laughed an awful lot.

Both thumbs up on this one. Get out and rent it and stop wasting time.

Laws and Regulations

My slow-simmering cold has finally come to a boil. Yum. So, mum gives me these off-brand cold pills that are huge and full of my favorite little chemical, pseudoephedrine hydrochloride. I took a pair last night, so my head wouldn't drain while I was trying to sleep. About 20 minutes after I took them I remembered, these things jazz you up. Damn. Four hours later, I was sad not to be sleeping.

So I took another pair this morning on my way to work. Wooo! I was *so* high! I had spontaneous numbness, couldn't read hardly anything, was super slow moving... it was great. Except, I was at work. I was gonna try and do paperwork or something easy, avoiding the potentially bad deal of talking to people on the phone. But then, the boss hollers over, Baby B--! {that's what he calls me. Great, eh? He knows my pop and bro, and, as the youngest, I get referred to as Baby B--. *sigh*}. "You look horrible! Are you sick?"

Thanks, buddy. I'm stoned, this psuedoephedrine stuff makes my eyes leak, so I look like I'm crying, and half my body is numb. How can I make that look good?

On the way, I drop into my local CVS to grab some familiar Sudafed, a delightful little red pill that may cause my head to fill with helium, but doesn't cause massive numbness. In the cold med aisle, there is a shelf of pills with phenylephrine, instead of psuedoephedrine. No biggie; I just slide over to the hanging cards and pick one for Sudafed and one for the CVS-brand cold pill. You have to take these to the pharmacist, as they are now a "controlled substance". I was carded, scrutinized, frowned at and told I could only have 48 pills at a time. {for those recently emerging from caves, there are a bunch of dickwads cooking meth in their basements/kitchens/bathrooms. In addition to Drano and other cleaning agents, cold meds with psuedoephedrine are used. Meth labs tend to be volatile (they explode), and meth itself isn't really all too gentle on the brain (did you see the ingredients? Drano, dude. Drano.). So, in order to reduce meth labs, They have created a law requiring cold meds be kept behind the counter.}

I asked the pharmacist about the difference between phenylephrine and psuedoephedrine. He, looking as stoned as I felt, didn't have much to offer. Doesn't use either one, suggested maybe cost, which was the same, and doubted they'd feel any different in the system. But why would he know? What does he look like, a person who deals with drugs all day? Sheesh.

oh.

Let's say, this does NOTHING to add to my strong dislike and distrust of pharmacists. They are NOT the friendly helpful people commercials make them out to be. Not anywhere close. They are rude, arrogant, huffy and judgemental. I say, give the medicines to the doctors and the nurses so you can get your meds immediately (more or less) after the Doc tells you that you need them. Cut out the middleman entirely.

Here's to the revolution! Down with pharmacists!!!

Readers' Poll

In response to a recent conversation, I pose the following question:

If you felt sick/unwell in a chronic (as in long-term, continuous, repeated) way and found an unsettling diagnosis, due to explorations on the internet, would you still see a doctor for confirmation?

Considering the consequences -lifelong medication, doctor fees, potentially being termed 'disabled', coming face-to-face with the unpleasant...

And the benefits -keeping something from getting worse, knowing it's the right diagnosis (not just what the internet had to offer), ending the uncomfortable/miserable/life-imparing symptoms...

I'm really curious what everyone's thoughts are on this, so please post. This is a respectful place, so, although not everyone might agree with you, we will all respect you and your opinions. Won't we??

Thanks.

What do you do?

40 oz (to get me through the day)

Hey. Guess what?

:) (: :) (:

I'm 24!

Note to self...

... find a way to get the brain and mouth working *together* ("in harmony", as they say). Preferably with the brain one step ahead of the mouth, and not the other way around.

On Siskel! On Ebert! On Movie Reviews!!

Harry Potter & the Goblet of Fire

Saw this one at an MJR -a very nice theater near home- with M&D & a million other people. It's getting hard to rate the film without the book nagging at the back of my mind. On its own, the film was indeed darker and a bit more creepy than the previous. We see You Know Who, in all his nasty glory, and the bloody recreation of YKW. For a little kid, that could definitely be freaky.

The beginning / intro was really well done - brief scenes of the Weasley's, the Quidditch World Cup, the Death Eaters (great costumes, guys!!), and then they are at school. Enough to get you going, but not to waste time. The foreign students were decent, though Fleur (or however you spell it) should have had MUCH longer hair. And those silly hats.... The dragons were great, the merpeople, the ending, all of it. Moaning Myrtle was irritating, but that's not news.

Really, it was good. I look forward to the DVD, where I can sit in the comfort of my own home and watch it all over and over again. It's hit like, $400Billion in sales already, but you should still go see it if you can.

Charlie & the Chocolate Factory

The roomie rented this one. Yowza! What a great movie! I remember people criticizing Depp when the film first came out. WHY?? Yea, he played Wonka as a total nutbag, but that is the character -the man's been isolated with Oompa-Loompas for the last xyears (I forgot to pay attention). I giggled out loud soo many times during this... Ahh, it was great.

The effects were interesting -thank Hollywood for special effects! One dude played a thousand O-Ls, just replicated all over. The sets all had a great magical feel, cartoony, distorted, and fun. The flashbacks were a tad odd, the last bit certainly odd. I really love all those people sleeping in the same bed; that's so cute.

Go see them both. Or, rent them both. Or, however you get your movies, do it. Fun, fun, fun!!

Random

I always mean to post those random things I see around town. Never do, of course.

So, I'm driving south through the city and go under an overpass, only to see it crowded with circus-themed floats. The best? The inflated giraffe, poking out of it's caged car.

(Today was the Thanksgiving parade)

A Vacation, in brief

I was away on vacation last week -the annual trip to Grand Cayman. Things were different this year -my bro didn't go with, so I brought a Jefner instead; the cleanup from Ivan (2004) was still in progress, with a ways to go; most of the staff at Morritt's were gone, including those providing the activities. Weather was great -hot, sunny and a sufficient, shall we say, 'breeze' to keep things comfortable. I fed a stingray for the first time, got a decent tan, stayed way too sober, and hardly spent any (of my own) money.

All the shit hit on this last weekend, which was okay, 'cause now I'm alright (almost eager) with work today. Sometimes the mindless drone is welcomed, as it drowns out the other crap.

Our flight home was begun with the check-in lady yelling at us for being sooooo late (we were there an hour before the flight left, in a 3-gate airport) and a broken bottle of rum. 3 long flights later, I had counseled a rambling woman, learned about personal aircrafts over Cincinnatti, and had discussed the asinine educational programs in Texas. We got to the house at midnight.

My Peace Corps invitation had arrived, finally! The news was recieved by glum looks and silence, certainly not matching my own excitement. Curious? I am invited to go to Mozambique on May 15, 2006 in order to work in the general Health & HIV/AIDS program. {I will have much more information and details posted soon, I promise!} The PC sent a big pack of info to get me started and have promised to send more when my departure gets closer.

The bro came by and shared some wild news. I'm not sure, really, the official status of things, as he seemed unsure himself, so I don't want to spout off too much to the 3 of you out there reading this. "Winging it" or "Going with the flow" are the terms that come to mind. It's good news, don't get me wrong, just unexpected. I'm not all the way absorbed into it yet. But suddenly, I feel old.

Aye, mi pobre cabeza.

The best of both, baby!

The latest from the geniuses at Abercrombie & Fitch... There are a bunch of girls staging a girlcott, the name alone causing a sensation, and getting themselves on the Today show. To them, a hearty 'Rock on!' But, how does one girlcott a company I've disliked since high school? I don't believe I have ever bought a single thing from there. With this company, it's been the prices that disgust me more than any of the products. Hard to say if spreading the word will make a difference. My friends aren't the kind to shop there, and certainly wouldn't wear a shirt like this one if they did shop there. Maybe the answer is to get involved with kids. Be a role model and show our daughters why they should avoid clothing like this. Show our daughters they don't need to choose -you can be beautiful and feminine and still have, and better yet, USE, your brain to go places in this world.

Betty Rules!

Betty Rules! Did you know? I didn't. Not until I was there, about... a foot? from the stage. THEN. I knew. I know. And, damn, I am GLAD I found out!

We (being me and 3 gys from the Detroit Feminism Group) went to The Ark, in Ann Arbor, to see Betty. Turns out, The Ark is one of the greatest places to see music. For $17.50, we had a table right next to the right corner of the stage. This is a super small place, that feels like you are having a private party. It was so intimate.

Betty is the group of 3 tuff gys, with a cute drummer and a husband/guitarist, that sing and speak and entertain. They opened with an a capella number, then rocked, then did some humorous banter between them, then some folk, some rock, some spoken, all in circles. It really is a great show, so much more than just hearing a CD (as some bands are in concert -you wonder why you paid so much to hear a CD you already 'own', let's say).

They are seriously SO funny, my cheeks were sore at the end of the night. Their music is powerful. I really liked the 'I like the way you think, I like the beer you drink, but I don't like kissing you' song. The last song was a fab cover of Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds. And by 'fab', I mean, it didn't sound exactly like the original. They took a great song and owned it.

After the show, they stayed to sign and meet&great. Said they were impressed with us hot chicks, and you should keep a watch on their site, as we should all appear soon in a pic. Really great ladies!

After, we were too wound up to leave. Went to /aut/ for some drinks and a frustrating string of pool games. This cutie Chad was owning the table. We all lost miserable on our first tries with him, but all came *so* close on the second. I even did so well as to get 2 balls in on one hit. Was I excited!!!

It was great, overall and through and through. WELL worth the effort of getting to and from AA.

Granny's back!

I know you all were SO on the edge of your seats...

Hugo found out about Back Alley Bikes, a community owned/run bike shop in D-town (on Cass, to make it even better ;) ). Tuesdays they are open for do-it-yourself repair, mechanic assisted. So, there I went! Hugo helped me get Granny down there, and hefted her up the stairs. There, an (extremely) attractive 'mechanic' helped me to hang granny and proceed with surgery.

We removed the rear wheel, found a new rim, pulled the tires off each and switched, removed the tire again when we found a leak, tightened the spokes and replaced the rim. The mechanic showed me what to do, but then had me do most of the work, which is really what it's all about.

I feel like such a bad-ass now.

On the way home, I realized what an asset this could be in Africa, so I'm going back to learn/volunteer and, hopefully, get enough experience to help establish some bike repair in my community. I'm pretty excited about all this, and definitely looking forward to getting more involved.

Granny, herself, was SO pleased to be healed and healthy, she insisted we go to work together, even though I was 30 min late. She's fiesty one!

Tips from a Resume Reader, 2

Editor's note: I'm not going to bother to read my last post on this, so, any repitition should be interpreted as emphasis. Take note.

1. Photos. Ahh, photos. Seems a good way to attach a face to a name, to humanize a resume, to make sure you get remembered, and in this digital age, it's just so easy. And it's just. so. wrong. Take, for two examples, the fellas I saw today. The first just looks sooo dweeby. I haven't been able to scroll past the photo to read the resume yet, and I'm going to be totally distracted when I call him. All I can think is, 'who does he remind me of?'

The second guy, well, I know who he reminds me of. And, he was right, in that we can't forget him. He looks like Mr. Belvedere (remember him, kiddies?). Or, the dad from Family Guy, if you squint. Now, how are we supposed to talk business, with this in our head??

2. Mr. Belvedere's second sin was his over-detailed 'Personal History'. T.M.I., sir, T.M.I.

3. There is a certain amount of optimism required when doing an online application. You have to have faith that someone out there cares. That they will read your message, read your resume and take a second to phone or email you. Always remember: there are MILLIONS of people with resumes online. Honestly. Try to stand out, in a positive way.

a. *Do Not* start your cover letter with: "although I do not have skills A, B, or D, I'm really swell with skill C and understand why the other 3 are important and necessary." Um, right. We'll be calling any day now.

b. Sometimes the following will work out in your best interest. Other times, it just gets emailed around the office for a hearty afternoon giggle. Enjoy.

-------------------------------------------------------------

Monster resume #xxxxxx

Engineer ISO meaningful employment relationship

-------------------------------------------------------------

Name: X. Xxxx

-------------------------------------------------------------

RESUME

Resume Headline: Engineer ISO meaningful employment relationship

Me: A sexy beast, 28, 6', 185lb; tan, muscular

You: An attractive manager/HR/executive-looking gal on the 4/5/6 train, 5 PM Friday

You checked me out as I boarded, and stared at my ass from Grand Central to 14th street/Union Square. You kept looking at my face and hands as I stood nervously, seeking your approval. Would you contact me? Can we meet up?

I think I've emailed you; at least the chances are good. I've sent my resume to most every valid email address in the tri-state area. I'm ready for work, I do IT. I can network most anything. I can be a fine Exchange and Active Directory engineer. I can reboot NT 4 boxes, though I would rather work with Exchange 2003 or Linux. But hell, who says my needs are important? I want to serve yours.

Rendezvous with me for a casual interview. I can fulfill all your fantasies. I'll whisper in your ear sweet promises: "you can work wirelessly in Central Park with no e-mail limits. I will make it happen; I will make it work. I'll show you how."

I'll load up your computer with software I picked up from my last employer. Heck, I won't even roll my eyes when you open macroviruses in Outlook. I'll just be glad to keep busy serving your needs. I need you, really I do. I miss being in a relationship. Being needed. Being courted by employees in search of backup retrievals, regardless of the reason. Being honored and lauded after solving the simplest of problems for end users. Yes, I can get back your bookmarks. I can fix your servers, make your laptop logon faster. Yes, I can go into your DataCenter set up RPC over HTTPS to your home so you can check Outlook email over your DSL connection.

I will shake your toner cartridges with passion; I will make the network go faster with ISA server, and get rid of pop-ups. I will crawl under your desk and gently straighten your cables, all if you let me. Choose me from the thousands of resumes that fall off your desk. I am special. I am proficient. Did I mention I am a sexy beast who will excite you every time you call me over for assistance with your palm pilot.

We will be happy and secure in our relationship. We will be safe from viruses because I always use McAffee protection; Our stability will never be threatened because of my nimble skills in NetIQ Network Management; And can keep everything private by using ISS intrusion detection (IDS), IPSEC, and S/MIME.

But you have to take the first step. I can only help you if I have a place in your company. I long for it; I yearn to be needed by you and to fulfill your demands. Hire me, promote me, send me emails asking for help and I will solve your problems.

But first you must read my resume and be impressed. Please, take the leap, reach out and grasp those sheets of earnest sincerity, the outpouring of my strengths, optimized for OCR scanning. Let me show you the breadth of my experience; meet with me and ask me about my weaknesses and all those other hard interview questions that no one has asked me for so long.

I've spent more time surfing internet porn today than I've interviewed in the last year. Take my hand and help me through it. You can stare at my ass the whole time. I won't complain. I won't even file a grievance. Not for the first six months. You can even walk up to my desk and touch my hand as you ask for help with your PowerPoint slides. Massage my neck as I install service packs on your laptop.

I can do anything. I'll set up a wireless network for you. I will fix your Active Directory, Windows 2003, or migrate to Exchange 2003 if you want me to. I'll hook up e-mail to your cell phone for telecommuters. I am a genius. I am pretty attractive. And I have nice abs.

Take a chance on me. You won't be sorry.

EXPERIENCE:

Date - - Company - - Location (removed)

Industry: IT- Software Systems & Design

Senior Windows 2003 and Exchange 2003 Consultant

Traveled around NYC and encouraged people to use Windows 2003 and Exchange 2003 instead of Linux. Fixed technical problems, major and minor stuff just so that they won't go to our competitor. Did lots of Engineering work too. If you read my resume this far, thanks! 99.359% of everything here is accurate and true, and yes I am looking for something new. Intrigued? Curious? Send me an e-mail!

Date - - Company - - Location (removed)

Industry: Banking/Finance

Technical Analyst

Performed portfolio management for all IT projects

LANGUAGES:

Language Proficiency Level

American Sign Language Basic - Familiar

English Fluent - Full Knowledge {Editor here - I *luv* when people say they are fluent in english and are obviously American. Fluent in english?? God, I'd hope you are!}

Hindi Basic - Familiar

Spanish Basic - Familiar

Wow, Really?

From BBC News online today (10/12/2005): This story

"If women are healthy then they can jump start the life of their family and the economy."

"When women are educated, healthy and employed, and able to make decisions about childbearing and reproductive life, everyone benefits."

We just now figured this out? How sad is that. The important next step: will the governments or the UN take any action based on this? Or will they continue as they have been, trying to soften the symptoms of a neglected disease?

Tips from a Resume Reader

You all know the easy ones, like spelling properly and proof-reading before you print a dozen copies on that expensive paper. Let's get beyond that.

1. Include a -brief- description of your responsibilities at each job. We want to see evidence you actually use those skills you've listed.

2. Give a one-liner on the company. Please don't assume the whole wold knows what Acme Corporation does. You may give a great description of your experience as a Quality Analyst for Acme, but neglect to say what they make. That means I have to call you and "bother" you, trying to find out the details. Guess what, Bob, it annoys me, too.

3. How about a phone number that hasn't been disconnected and an email that works?

4. While we're at it, let's be professional. "LegalizeIt@biteme.net" isn't a good first move.

5. Take an extra minute to check out the format of you resume, once posted online. Be sure it's not a giant block of text. FYI: we don't read those. And there's at least one engineer out there wondering why no one has called with a job. Is that how sloppy All your work is?

...to be continued...

Long weekends

This weekend has felt crazy long. Weird. Especially as I was actually doing things. Normally that shortens the weekend, but not this time. The review:

Work - Mike, Chadd and Chadd2/Tim (or the ever-entertaining "Frick and Frack") all were in NYC for a boys only pj party. Isn't that the cutest ever? Then BossMan leaves on Wed, PReal on Thurs midday, the Greek split before lunch on Friday, with Jason just after. Made for a D-Liciously quiet week. Mmmmm :)

Home - Got the new room painted. It's a light yellow that strongly resembles the color of butter. I think it's a great color that really opens the room, brightens things. I'm working on a cloudy ceiling, and got the border done. Someone threw away the last rollerbrush, though, so the rest will have to wait until I go shop. Upstairs got Spazz to clean (CLEAN!!!), and we are getting a new pal on the 1st.

Weekend - Went to the island on Friday, mellow night in with the 'rents and without Spazz. Saturday was cool, around the house, some simple stuff. Came back to RO to see the end of the cleaning (!!!) and do the painting. Went out that night with Upstairs and Hugo. A tour of RO -O'Toules (mediocre [sp?] and full of yuppies), 5th Ave (in and out too quick to get a drink), Goodnight Gracies (decided it was the perfect place for a great date, just need to work on getting said great date; the bartender is heavy handed, and the music was pretty good), Memphis Smoke (has potential), and finally to Gusoline Alley (for those in the know, it's a sibling of Remy's).

Today I got over my anxiety to get into Caribou (do I honestly look like I'm in my 30's???) to get the NYTimes crossword. Got some good coffee and another page to this letter I'm working for my Luvr. Went to Borders with 2 books in mind and couldn't find either. Not a helper in the store, not a computer helper thing, not any assistance. Left empty handed, unlikely to return.

Alright, whatever. I'm done.

FYI

In case you have contact with anyone from AL, MS, or LA who may be interested in the following, please do share.

Throughout the month of September, Planned Parenthood Northern Michigan will provide free contraceptive care to women and men from Alabama, Mississippi, and Louisiana, displaced by Hurricane Katrina. "We recognize that many people have been through a terrible ordeal. We are able to help in this unique way by offering free contraceptive services to displaced people who are not able to access these services through their regular provider," says PPNM CEO/Executive Director Jill Warren. Women, men, and their families in central and northern Michigan should call 1-800-230-PLAN, visit www.plannedparenthood.org/ppnm, or call one of the following numbers for information about the closest Health Center location. Marquette - (906) 225-5070 Petoskey - (231) 347-9692 Traverse City - (231) 929-1844 Mt. Pleasant - (989) 773-5602

Sorry, folks

Hey, y'all. Sorry for that word verification business on the comment section. It may pose a slight annoyance, but, it beats having all these idiots post adverts on my blog. And who wants to read that shit? Exactly.

YAHOO

MEDICAL: Complete. Peace Corps has completed your medical review. There are no medical holds on your account at this time.