Jamilyn's Journal - Sept 2005


	Date: 30 Sept, 2005 Time: 4:39pm Subject: Someone Else's Faux Pas * * * * * I love being the subject of someone else's mistake. Somehow it makes me feel slightly better about making the silly mistakes that I make on a regular basis. A few days ago I received the following e-mail: Yo....what's up?? I need some legal consulting...what's up for this weekend for your birthday....let me know..i may want to come with some people....talk to you soon....don't get too overworked there in law school...love ya -me So I did what any rational thinking person wouldn't have done (I think the correct course of action would've been to ignore the e-mail) and answered my new friend: do I know you? and received a response: you big dummy...it's your brother OH! My BROTHER! Of course! How could I not recognize the e-mail address?!? you big dummy...I don't have a brother. ...but if I did, I'd sure like to have one who remembers when my birthday is (even though mine isn't this weekend). I guess my brother didn't like being called a dummy. He didn't write me back after this. I hope he found his brother...otherwise I may have caused someone else's family feud! jlm, 9.30.05, 4:46pm \| Date: 29 Sept, 2005 Time: 5:59pm Subject: Chicago * * * * * Weekend Assignment #79: Chicago! It's a toddlin' town. Share some of your favorite things about the City of Big Shoulders. If you've ever been to Chicago, memories of your visit would be a topic. If you live in or near Chicago, some hometown favorite things would be good. If you've never been, share your favorite Chicago-related thing, from the Jordan-era Bulls to the Blues Brothers to Ferris Bueller. As long as it's tangentially related to Chicago, it's all good. I've been to Chicago once - 18ish years ago. These are the only clear memories I have. While walking down the street, we passed an entire section of sidewalk that had stanchion poles, but no chain or rope inbetween them. I asked my mom what they were there for and she said that in the winter they put ropes between the poles so that people could pull themselves up the street. After all, it is the windy city! That same day we saw a man on rollerblades going down the street. It was the first time I'd ever seen them, and it made a huge impression on me. I think when I got home I told all of my friends something along the lines of, "I saw a guy...and he was rollerskating...but his skates were weird...all the wheels were in a line...like ice skates...it was so cool!" Yeah - easily impressed - it runs in the family. Extra Credit: Chicago Deep Dish Pizza -- the best pizza ever? Your thoughts. Sorry - I pledge allegiance to the slices as big as your head, floppy crust pizza found in New York City (and your finer pizzerias in the tri-state area)...although I do enjoy the occasional visit to Pizzeria Uno, if that counts. jlm, 9.29.05, 6:06pm \| Date: 29 Sept, 2005 Time: 5:50pm Subject: Push? * * * * * I had one of those phone calls today I don't think I'll ever forget. "IneedaridetoarnoldpalmerI'mhavingcontractions." I'm sorry...did you say you need an ambulance? "I need... pant... an ambulance.. pant... to Arnold Palmer.. pant.. I'm having.. pant.. contractions." The woman sounded like she was having real contractions. So I connected her to 911. At first I was all excited, a little "I don't know nothin' about birthin' no babies" and a little "name it after me!" Then I took a look at the reservation and saw that it was just one adult and one child. Women near the end of their pregnancy don't generally travel that far from home (Indiana), especially as a sole caregiver. Plus, she was originally supposed to check out a week ago and had to extend the reservation. I hope she and the baby and the baby's older sibling are ok. That's got to be so scary. jlm, 9.29.05, 5:56pm \| Date: 28 Sept, 2005 Time: 4:42pm Subject: Banned Books Week - Sept. 23-30, 2005 * * * * * "Banned Books Week: Celebrating the Freedom to Read is observed during the last week of September each year. Observed since 1982, the annual event reminds Americans not to take this precious democratic freedom for granted. Banned Books Week (BBW) celebrates the freedom to choose or the freedom to express one’s opinion even if that opinion might be considered unorthodox or unpopular and stresses the importance of ensuring the availability of those unorthodox or unpopular viewpoints to all who wish to read them. After all, intellectual freedom can exist only where these two essential conditions are met." -- American Library Association I came across a link to this on Scalzi's blog and was simply amazed. Below you will find the list of the 100 most challenged books (books that the ALA received the most requests to ban from libraries) from 1990-2000. I've bolded the ones I've read voluntarily, and underlined the ones I had to read for school. How many of your favorites are on this list? Scary Stories (Series) by Alvin Schwartz Daddy’s Roommate by Michael Willhoite I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou The Chocolate War by Robert Cormier The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck Harry Potter (Series) by J.K. Rowling Forever by Judy Blume Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson Alice (Series) by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor Heather Has Two Mommies by Leslea Newman My Brother Sam is Dead by James Lincoln Collier and Christopher Collier The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger The Giver by Lois Lowry It’s Perfectly Normal by Robie Harris Goosebumps (Series) by R.L. Stine A Day No Pigs Would Die by Robert Newton Peck The Color Purple by Alice Walker Sex by Madonna Earth’s Children (Series) by Jean M. Auel The Great Gilly Hopkins by Katherine Paterson A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle Go Ask Alice by Anonymous Fallen Angels by Walter Dean Myers In the Night Kitchen by Maurice Sendak The Stupids (Series) by Harry Allard The Witches by Roald Dahl The New Joy of Gay Sex by Charles Silverstein Anastasia Krupnik (Series) by Lois Lowry The Goats by Brock Cole Kaffir Boy by Mark Mathabane Blubber by Judy Blume Killing Mr. Griffin by Lois Duncan Halloween ABC by Eve Merriam We All Fall Down by Robert Cormier Final Exit by Derek Humphry The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood Julie of the Wolves by Jean Craighead George The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison What’s Happening to my Body? Book for Girls: A Growing-Up Guide for Parents & Daughters by Lynda Madaras To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee Beloved by Toni Morrison The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton The Pigman by Paul Zindel Bumps in the Night by Harry Allard Deenie by Judy Blume Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes Annie on my Mind by Nancy Garden The Boy Who Lost His Face by Louis Sachar Cross Your Fingers, Spit in Your Hat by Alvin Schwartz A Light in the Attic by Shel Silverstein Brave New World by Aldous Huxley Sleeping Beauty Trilogy by A.N. Roquelaure (Anne Rice) Asking About Sex and Growing Up by Joanna Cole Cujo by Stephen King James and the Giant Peach by Roald Dahl The Anarchist Cookbook by William Powell Boys and Sex by Wardell Pomeroy Ordinary People by Judith Guest American Psycho by Bret Easton Ellis What’s Happening to my Body? Book for Boys: A Growing-Up Guide for Parents & Sons by Lynda Madaras Are You There, God? It’s Me, Margaret by Judy Blume Crazy Lady by Jane Conly Athletic Shorts by Chris Crutcher Fade by Robert Cormier Guess What? by Mem Fox The House of Spirits by Isabel Allende The Face on the Milk Carton by Caroline Cooney Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut Lord of the Flies by William Golding Native Son by Richard Wright Women on Top: How Real Life Has Changed Women’s Fantasies by Nancy Friday Curses, Hexes and Spells by Daniel Cohen Jack by A.M. Homes Bless Me, Ultima by Rudolfo A. Anaya Where Did I Come From? by Peter Mayle Carrie by Stephen King Tiger Eyes by Judy Blume On My Honor by Marion Dane Bauer Arizona Kid by Ron Koertge Family Secrets by Norma Klein Mommy Laid An Egg by Babette Cole The Dead Zone by Stephen King The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain Song of Solomon by Toni Morrison Always Running by Luis Rodriguez Private Parts by Howard Stern Where’s Waldo? by Martin Hanford Summer of My German Soldier by Bette Greene Little Black Sambo by Helen Bannerman Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett Running Loose by Chris Crutcher Sex Education by Jenny Davis The Drowning of Stephen Jones by Bette Greene Girls and Sex by Wardell Pomeroy How to Eat Fried Worms by Thomas Rockwell View from the Cherry Tree by Willo Davis Roberts The Headless Cupid by Zilpha Keatley Snyder The Terrorist by Caroline Cooney Jump Ship to Freedom by James Lincoln Collier and Christopher Collier Amazing, isn't it? In this day and age, there are still people out there trying to ban Huck Finn and To Kill A Mockingbird. That the books on puberty made the list particularly irks me. After all, what's wrong with telling a girl why she's growing boobies? It also amuses me is that Jean Auel's books are on this list - probably because of the graphic sex - but that Danielle Steele is nowhere to be seen. I'm not even going to get out my soapbox for this. It's not necessary. The books speak for themselves. jlm, 9.28.05, 4:59pm \| Date: 28 Sept, 2005 Time: 11:05am Subject: Photo Credit: Chuck * * * * * Monday Photo Shoot: Give your camera to a child, friend, spouse or relative and have them shoot some pictures. Allow me to introduce my guest photographer. This is Chuck (a.k.a. Chuckles, Chachi, Love in an Elevator, Chuckie). When Scott and I showed up at Dave's house last night for our somewhat monthly dinner/poker party, I handed Chuck the camera and let him play. The first picture he snapped was of the giant pie that Cathi brought, followed by one of me stuffing my face with Dave's bbq meatballs. At Dave's, Chuck usually ends up cleaning up after us. Here we see what happens when Chuck realizes the pool deck hasn't been swept since the construction was finished... And what happens when I realize that Chuck doesn't know how to operate a push broom... (the second picture? I got a blister from the dang broom!) Chuck gave up the camera about then, and I took over the photography. So here's the rest of the evening: Cathi on the phone, Dave wins the game, Scott drinks some spiked Coke, mmm...meat, Lisa shows who's dealer, Chris nests in some girl's lap (I think it might be Cathi) jlm, 9.28.05, 11:30am \| Date: 27 Sept, 2005 Time: 1:26pm Subject: Digging His Own Grave * * * * * Former FEMA head Michael "Brownie" Brown is defending himself and his Katrina-related decisions in front of a Congressional panel. Scott and I keep finding ourselves flipping back to CSPAN just to see what he says next. Here's some highlights: "My biggest mistake was not recognizing by Saturday that Louisiana was dysfunctional," "I've overseen over 150 presidentially declared disasters. I know what I'm doing, and I think I do a pretty darn good job of it," "I very strongly personally regret that I was unable to persuade Gov. Blanco and Mayor Nagin to sit down, get over their differences, and work together. I just couldn't pull that off." When Congressman Davis pushed Brown on what he and the agency he led should have done to evacuate New Orleans, restore order in the city and improve communication among law enforcement agencies, Brown said: "Those are not FEMA roles. FEMA doesn't evacuate communities. FEMA does not do law enforcement. FEMA does not do communications." So...what exactly does FEMA do? According to fema.gov, "The Federal Emergency Management Agency...is tasked with responding to, planning for, recovering from and mitigating against disasters." I dunno...sounds like evacuation was part of the hurricane response, and that communications should have been planned for, especially since that was such a major problem found by the 9/11 Commission. Believe me, I'm not saying Michael Brown is solely responsible for the destruction of an entire American metropolis. I am, however, saying that he and his agency are partly to blame and that he should admit that mistakes were made. Progress isn't made by covering your screw-ups. Progress is made by studying mistakes, learning from them, and moving on. (All quotes came from AOL News) jlm, 9.27.05, 1:42pm \| Date: 27 Sept, 2005 Time: 11:54am Subject: Who are the people in your neighborhood? * * * * * Scott and I took a stroll through the complex this morning. I wanted to walk further than we ended up going, but I hadn't exactly eaten breakfast and I was getting a little bit wobbly. We ended up just walking the long way to the rental office to ask for a copy of our lease renewal and then coming home. On the way, I snapped some pictures: These are moths that have taken up habitation on our building. Someone has made a game of stepping on them - leaving spots of bright yellow bug guts and brown bodies on the steps and sidewalk. Eww! If you live in an apartment, a) you shouldn't have lawn deer, b) your lawn deer shouldn't live on top of a table. Who are these weirdos?? Behold! Beyond the orange fence lies a brand new freshly paved road. Can it be much longer before they actually open the road back up and I can get onto Rt 27 safely in the morning? I'm so excited! jlm, 9.27.05, 12:03pm \| Date: 26 Sept, 2005 Time: 7:56pm Subject: Tin Ear Sundae * * * * * I preface this by saying that I'm not a professional musician. I'm not good enough to be a professional musician. And I know this. I'm not proclaiming mysef God's Gift to Christmas Music. However... At Candlelight rehearsal tonight, there was some tone-deaf shrill Edith Bunker wannabe sitting behind me. She was singing so off-key that she was bringing the people on either side of her down too. shudder I think she was taking the term "joyful noise" a little too literally. I hope I don't stand near her during any of the shows...I might be tempted to ask her to lip-sync. (no, I'd never do that. I'd just be tempted.) And while I'm on the subject of annoying women, I had some crazy old harpy (harpy? or harpee? harpy looks better - we'll go with that) call and yell at me because there were 15 commercials on during her soap and she pays to watch it and she's in a wheelchair and that many commercials is too many and she pays to watch and how dare we put so many commercials on and she can't get up to change the channel and she loves the show but there's too many commercials and if we don't put less commercials on the show she's going to stop watching and she's going to publish why. Yes, all of that, in 40 seconds, after which she hung up before I could offer to connect her to the viewer comment line. And unless her nursing home charges her to watch the TV, she's not paying to watch. That's the beauty of broadcast television. Oh - and I can't wait to see how many newspapers jump at the chance to print the old lady's letter to the editor that there's too many commercials on broadcast television. Can I get a big ol' T.G.I.F. ?!?!? jlm, 9.26.05, 8:06pm \| Date: 25 Sept, 2005 Time: 7:18pm Subject: T.M.I. * * * * * I had the ultimate T.M.I. moment on the phone with someone yesterday. She was trying to call in from work and didn't know the number. While I was looking for the number to connect her to, she mentioned, "I haven't been able to make it out of the bathroom all day and it's getting really grunt inconvenient." So not only did I have to know that this woman had the runs...I also had to know that she was on the crapper while talking to me. shudder I've been walking during my breaks at work the last two or three weeks. If it's not raining, I'm walking. I try to do one lap around the parking lot during my first break, another lap during my lunch break (if Scott doesn't stop by), and during my last break I walk up and down each row. It's not real strenuous, but it feels good to actually get up and move. Now that the weather has broken (when did 88 become "pleasant?") I just don't have any excuses not to make an effort. And like I said, I feel good. And speaking of physical exertion, I won't be doing any tonight! Tonight is the season premiere of Desperate Housewives, Gray's Anatomy, and West Wing (which I'll be taping). The TV is already tuned to ABC, since Extreme Makeover Home Edition is on, and I'm going to pop up one of my little single-serve popcorns and have a "Happy TV Day" party for myself. ...now where's that hat and noisemaker? jlm, 9.25.05, 7:31pm \| Date: 24 Sept, 2005 Time: 8:25pm Subject: Reminiscing * * * * * Last night was great. Let me rephrase. Last night was a lot of fun, despite the lame DJ and casino that security paid for. I saw so many people last night - all the old MK bag checkers including Eddie Squash and his new wife (!?!?) and pictures of their baby (!!!???!!!), Roy, and Richard L...And I saw some comm center people...and some of Scott's friends...and some people I'd rather not have seen...but that's par for the course in security, right? The food was surprisingly good, and I was having such a good time catching up with people that I never even road Coaster or Tower. Can you believe that?? Needless to say, I was exhausted this morning and never really woke up today. Scott stopped at Wendy's for lunch and I had half a coke, which at least made me bouncy for the last half of my shift. Caffeine is so interesting. I'm pretty sure I'll be unconscious by 10 tonight. I have to leave early tomorrow to compensate for the damn triathalon that's going to slow me down on my way to work. Two more days... Two more days... Two more days... jlm, 9.24.05, 8:36pm \| Date: 23 Sept, 2005 Time: 7:57pm Subject: Full Day * * * * * Today's Schedule: 8:30-5:00 -- work 5:30-7:00 -- Candlelight rehearsal 8:30-late -- Security party @ MGM Tomorrow maybe I'll have time to write. :o) jlm, 9.23.05, 7:58pm \| Date: 22 Sept, 2005 Time: 6:20pm Subject: Outta Here! * * * * * This week's weekend assignment is pretty close to me. I actually got three calls today from people who were worried about the hurricane that was about to hit Florida. me: there's no hurricane near us her: what about Rita? (in a snotty tone as if I'm the idiot in this conversation) me: Rita is going to hit TEXAS. her: I thought it went straight through Orlando. me: no, it went south of Key West, hundreds of miles south of Orlando her: so you're not closed because of the hurricane? me: no - everything is just peachy here. Although I've never evacuated, I had to pack for three overnight stays last year when I was on the hurricane ride-out crew at work. My experiences there are dictating my answers to the assignment. Weekend Assignment #78: You are preparing to evacuate your house due to an upcoming threat. You have already packed up all your essential items, people and pets. You have room for three non-essential items. What are they? Remember, you already have your essentials: food, medicines, water, clothes, and all the people (including the furry ones) who live with you. "Non-essentials" are things you don't need but would like to have, and can include momentos, books, jewelry, objects of sentimental value, and so on and so forth. 1. Pillows and quilt - the pillows are because no hotel (or highway overpass) has enough pillows. The quilt is more sentimental than anything else. It was a wedding gift (and is the current background on this page) and, since it is handmade, is irreplaceable. 2. Wedding albums (2) and their corresponding photo CDs. One album is the "good" album that I spent all sorts of hours cropping pictures and arranging in an order that made sense. One album is full of candid pictures and the little advice cards we made everyone fill out at the reception. I have another, but made it at CafePress, so I could buy another copy. 3. Girl Scout Cookies. The way I figure it, if I'm going to end up in a mass shelter somewhere (unlikely since we have family or friends in every state from here to Connecticut) these babies are going to be currency - like cigarettes in prison - and I want to be rich!! All kidding aside, I'd replace the cookies with a notebook and pens so that I could write about everything I saw and heard. And of course, my digital camera lives in my purse anyway, so it goes without saying that I would never evacuate without it. I didn't pick anything electronic because in this make-believe world I have renter's insurance and could get it replaced...or more accurately, a TV and maybe computer would be on Scott's list. All of our other photo albums and sentimental stuff have rubbermaid storage boxes waiting to be loaded up. That way they'll stay nice and dry. Extra Credit: Have you ever been evacuated? I packed our stuff up three times last year, but we're far enough inland that people evacuate to here. If they ever had all of Florida leave, we'd be trapped on I-4 for weeks. Perish the thought! jlm, 9.22.05, 6:46pm \| Date: 21 Sept, 2005 Time: 11:39am Subject: Oh...photos! * * * * * Here for your viewing pleasure are two silly pictures we did at the Imagination pavilion at Epcot. The first was a day-late pirate theme (now two days late), the second was just fun. Enjoy! Click on the pictures for a bigger, more detailed image. jlm, 9.21.05, 11:45am \| Date: 20 Sept, 2005 Time: 7:28pm Subject: Day Out * * * * * Scott and I decided to get out of the house this afternoon (always a good idea) and started out going to Olive Garden for lunch. We had possibly the worst waitress ever. OK, not the worst. I've had worse. But not many. It took her forever to show up at our table, so we ended up placing our drink, appetizer, and entree orders at once. She seemed weeded, so I cut her some slack. She said she had gone to get change for a $100 bill. Understandable. The drinks came in a reasonable amount of time, as did our breadsticks, Scott's soup, and my salad. Then we waited. ...and waited... and waited. We started to wonder what happened to our appetizer. Was it not coming? Was the kitchen backed up? Would we be charged for it? When our entrees arrived, I asked her if we were going to be charged for the appetizer we never got, at which point she literally ran back to the kitchen and brought it out. I said we didn't want it anymore, so she said no problem and said she'd get it voided. She also blamed the kitchen for being backed up. Funny - our entrees seemed to come in a timely manner. The manager visited us and offered to void the appetizer and wrap it up to go. Can't beat that. Well, you can beat that by having good service. But he fixed the problem. After our entrees, she said she had to track down the manager because he still had our check. Scott's first reaction to this girl was that she had dirt under her fingernails. I didn't notice until I looked. eww. She also screwed up another table's order so bad they sent their food back and were leaving at the same time we left. I tipped her $2, and Scott thinks I was too nice. Well, at least she wasn't incompetant and rude - she apologized "for the kitchen" to every one of her tables when she screwed up. After that little culinary adventure, we went to Epcot. We rode Soarin' (and didn't waste our free fastpass), went on Spaceship Earth, rode the Figment ride, sent e-mail postcards of ourselves (which we haven't gotten yet), rode the Mexico boat ride (la la la la laaaa...), split a margaRITA, and window-shopped in Norway and China. Oh yeah - and I found a new stupid hat. I don't know what it's supposed to be. Possibly a scarecrow costume with Goofy ears? Who cares? It's funny! After Epcot we stopped at Wal Mart for essentials (kitty litter, face wash, and a night light...lava lamp of course!), and I got a present! Isn't it pretty? Hopefully this pre-grown flower will do better than the ones we tried to grow from seeds! Sunflowers look hearty, so maybe they have a chance. We also looked at the assortment of citrus trees, but decided that we didn't want to pay $40 and then have to carry the dang thing up 3 flights of stairs. When I get those postcards, I'll post the images. Until then, I'm off. jlm, 9.20.05, 7:57pm \| Date: 19 Sept, 2005 Time: 9:38pm Subject: Ahoy Mateys! * * * * * Avast! Seeing that it be National Talk Like a Pirate Day, we be goin' for a pirate theme across the board! Yer Monday Photo Shoot: Yar! Be you shooting piratey pictures today! Well, rather than play dress-up myself, I decided to "Go Disney" for this entry and show one of my favorite scenes from the Pirates of the Caribbean ride here at WDW. And below you will find the ultimate POTC souvenir: Johnny Depp in a Box. It's an 18" doll that looks exactly like him. sigh He's dreamy! jlm, 9.19.05, 9:47pm \| Date: 19 Sept, 2005 Time: 9:07pm Subject: Omigosh! * * * * * Today I had one of those crazy-busy days on the phones where I found myself taking bathroom breaks I didn't need just so that I could sit someplace quiet and not have to talk for 3 minutes. Really. It was absolutely non-stop, and not even anything remarkable. "Are you going to close because of the hurricane?" no. "Is my room ready?" no. "I left something in the room when I checked out." I'll connect you to the lost & found. The most wonderful thing about work today was that I'm not there for Monday Night Football anymore. MNF adds exponentially to our call volume when there isn't a telethon going on. After work I had my first Candlelight rehearsal. It's been nine years since the last time I sang with a choir. Christmas of '95 was the last time I stood with a group of people and sang those amazing songs. Music is such a huge part of Christmas for me, and I can't even begin to say how great it was to sing again. I also learned that I can't hit a high A -- -- without a thorough vocal warm-up. (Actually, I couldn't hit a high A when I was in high school. F...maybe G on a good day, but that was it. Gotta love what singing along to Phantom does to a voice!) I think I'll be sticking to the Soprano II parts. Needless to say, I'm just tickled pink to be there and can't wait to go back to rehearsal on Wednesday. jlm, 9.19.05, 9:24pm \| Date: 18 Sept, 2005 Time: 11:03pm Subject: Ahh...Emmy * * * * * Jamie's Top 5 Emmy 2005 Moments in no particular order 1. Jon Stewart - Two wins for The Daily Show, which he accepted, an amusing "edgy" pre-taped (and edited for content) commentary on Katrina and the government's response, and some very nice words for David Letterman - saying that David Letterman is to Jon Stewart what Johnny Carson was to Letterman. 2. Felicity Huffman's tearful acceptance speech. I love her and was thrilled that she won (as thrilled as I would've been if Teri Hatcher had won). Aghast at her "ugly cry" reaction to winning she yelled "oh God I'm one of those actresses and I'm sorry!" She's great. 3. S. Epatha Merkerson (who?), winner in a category I don't care about, had stored her acceptance speech in her decolletage...and it disappeared down her dress. She had to do it off the cuff. It's better that way. Plus, Jon Stewart followed her onstage and proceeded to fish his own remarks out of his pants. I love that guy! 4. The beautiful tribute to the "big three" anchormen had me in tears. Even though I never watched their newscasts, I love Tom Brokaw and Dan Rather, and they said wonderful things about Peter Jennings. 5. Donald Trump...singing the Green Acres theme song...wearing denim overalls. Need I say more? I'd also like to thank Ellen Degeneres for her humor and spirit, Jennifer Garner for absolutely glowing while carrying a watermelon in her dress, Tony Shaloub for being so great in Monk (even though I never get to watch it). I'd like to thank my mom, who spent 13 hours in labor and 26 years reminding me of that fact, and Scott, for letting me call in whenever I want. I'm sleeping with this baby on my bedside table tonight. THANK YOU!!! Well, apparently my tiredness is leading to delusions of Emmy grandeur. I think it's time for bed. UPDATE (11:33pm): I just heard two disturbing things in a live interview with Donald Trump... 1. The Apprentice is going to be on Broadway. Of all the reality shows, is there a worse one to be adapted to the stage? 2. When asked what their plans were for the night (you know, TV Guide Party, Governor's Ball, etc.), his response was "make love." Eww...who needed to know that?!? jlm, 9.18.05, 11:26pm \| Date: 18 Sept, 2005 Time: 6:51pm Subject: $5 EACH?!? * * * * * I did my good deed for the month today. I got a call around 4:30 from a guy whose 1-year wedding anniversary is tonight. They came here for their honeymoon last year and ate at the California Grill, and came for the weekend just to eat there again for their anniversary. Anyway, he called to find out how to arrange flowers at the restaurant for his wife. I called the Florist who told me they stop taking delivery orders after 2pm. Oops. And short of taking a cab to the nearest grocery store, this guy was S.O.L. I took pity, and in a moment of weakness I offered to help him out. I told him I could run to the store for him. I was like "I get off in 20 minutes - I can go get them and drop them at the restaurant for you." He was floored, and said "no, you don't have to do that" with a hint of "please GOD let it be true!!" in his voice. Like I said, I took pity. "I've been married a year and a half - I know how important the first anniversary is." Of course, he accepted. I was just going to run over to Goodings, but when he said he just needed 2 roses I decided to call the florist again to see if I could go and pick them up after work. And they said I could! The roses were $5 each...but totally worth it for the presentation. When I got there they were still putting the order together, so I got to chat with the girls who were putting tomorrow's wedding arrangements together (wow!). Anyway, for $10 they put these two silly roses in a rose box (the kind gangsters carry machine guns in in the movies...shrunk for 2 flowers) with a beautiful bow, they put a gold-embossed Mickey card on it with Happy Anniversary written in it, and sent me on my way in 25 minutes. Then I went to the Grill, which turned out to be a pain in the @$$. I didn't care for the lousy attitude of the two seaters who seemed more interested in their radios and the action upstairs than the line of people in front of them. And considering I ended up spending 45 minutes of my own life helping this guy out, I didn't appreciate this girl who didn't want to take 2 minutes out of her day to talk to me. Biotch! Anyway, Mr. Anniversary asked me "what special thing can I do for you?" and I told him to write a letter. We'll see if that happens. Honestly, I was glad to help him out. I hope his wife loves the flowers and never knows that her husband is a terrible procrastinator! And now I'm off to watch the Emmy pre-show on E. I LOVE AWARD SHOWS!!! jlm, 9.18.05, 7:08pm \| Date: 17 Sept, 2005 Time: 11:44pm Subject: Night * * * * * I'm back at work in less than nine hours. Why, then, am I not already asleep? Well, I just got home from work and was starving (an unfortunate side effect of walking on my last break instead of eating for 15 minutes!) and now I'm unwinding. And now a dispatch from our "What the F* Were They Thinking?" Department:** For those who know my route home, there's a little clump of bushes right in front of AK where the cops like to sit. I drive by every night around 11:15, and every night they are either sitting behind the bushes, or are at the bottom of the hill, lights blazing, having just pulled someone over. The speed limit on that particular stretch of road is 40. It's a straight section, 2 lanes, and I was once in the passenger seat of a very reckless individual who shall remain namelss when he decided to drag-race his brand new car against a co-worker's Honda POS. We topped out at over 100. And I yelled at him the rest of the way home. Even in more sensible hands, it's easy to catch yourself going 55 or 60 without a second thought. But like I said, the cops have been out there 4 nights out of 5 for the last few weeks. I go by every night at a sensible 42. Most of the other drivers around me - even ones who were going 55 on Buena Vista before turning onto Osceola - also slow down below 45. Why is it that at least one night a week, someone is getting pulled over there? When will they learn? And on another auto-related note, gas at Disney is down to $2.59. I thought that was so great I stopped and filled my tank on the way home tonight (well, that and the fact that my gas light was on). Then I found out that gas across the street from us is down to $2.56. That's right folks - below pre-Katrina prices. Alarm is set to go off in 7 hours, so I should get going. But one more thing before I go...Hunter, the oldest of my former babies, is selling QSP for school. Anyone need magazine subscriptions or gift wrap? If so, click here. I'll even let you use my User Name (jamie24601@aol.com) and Password (Ev21Oh). I remember selling this crap for Girl Scouts...but at least now it's more than just magazine subscriptions! OK, I'm really going to bed now. jlm, 9.18.05, 12:05am \| Date: 17 Sept, 2005 Time: 11:10am Subject: Morning * * * * * I just recently rolled my lazy butt out of bed, and all I want to do it climb back in. I think it's going to be one of those days. Last night we were pretty busy, and I was once again sitting in the little room of death. See, the normal room where I sit is big and open and has TVs on (muted) and even a view of the outside through the emergency exit door. The little room of death has no windows, no TV, is painted yellow, and looks perpendicularly into a hallway, so you really can't even see anything that doesn't walk right past your door. And last night I was sitting in the back corner of the little room of death...where you can't even see the door without standing on a footstool! On the bright side, those computers have internet access (not that I took advantage of that fact). It was pretty quiet in the beginning of my shift and I finished the book I was reading before 4:00, so during my first break I went out to search my trunk for a book. I knew that Wicked was in there the other day when I cleaned, but apparently it made it upstairs in the laundry basket-o-crap I rescued. In addition to another book, I found a lunch bag (circa summer 2003). When I picked up the bag, it left a little trail of orange powder in its wake. That's when I knew opening it wasn't going to be pretty. In the lunch bag were a bag of microwave popcorn, 55 cents, half a packet of peanut butter cheese crackers (the orange kind...which I don't even like!), a can opener, and some ants. I tossed the bag, after rescuing the money and the can opener. Really, I can't figure out how it ended up in my trunk in the first place. Seems like a stupid place to keep your lunch, doesn't it? Also remaining in the trunk (and keep in mind, this is after the big cleaning project): a down comforter, a sheet, a handful of wedding magazines, two poster tubes full of posters, a security rain coat, a comm center costume, and some black socks. The comforter and sheet have been in the trunk since umm...April-ish of '03 when Kilo peed on them. I took them to the laundromat to wash them, and somehow they never came out of the trunk. I really need to go back and finish dumping the junk, don't I? jlm, 9.17.05, 11:27am \| Date: 16 Sept, 2005 Time: 11:39am Subject: Growing Up * * * * * Weekend Assignment #77: What do you want to be when you grow up? This can be answered one of two ways: You can answer by saying what you wanted to be when you were a kid, or, you can answer by saying what you still want to be, one day, one way or another. It's up to you. When I was a kid, aside from being a broadway star and a marine biologist, I wanted to be a journalist. I wanted to be Murphy Brown and Clark Kent and Mary Tyler Moore rolled into one. That lasted with me long enough to be the editor of my high school newspaper, when I discovered that I loved the editing more than the reporting...and then I met television. I took a TV production class during my senior year of high school, and was instantly in love with the control booth. Camera 1...camera 2...fade in...zoom out...and I was the best teleprompter person the morning announcements had ever seen. We had the opportunity to go to some journalism forum at one of the Philly TV stations and during our tour we saw their control room. It was the first time in my life I remember my heart skipping a beat. I was in love. So I went to college planning on becoming a TV news producer. To this day, I'm still not 100% sure what a producer does, but that wasn't important. Really, I wanted to be a script editor or even the teleprompter guy. I wasn't going to be picky. Then I had one of those moments when I realized that people in TV news will poke your eye if they think it'll get you to cry on camera. And my dream deflated. Who wants to be like that? I still love to write (obviously). Every time I read something by Anne Lamott, I want to be like her. Her life is just more interesting than mine though. I'd like to write something for real some day. Maybe a newspaper column, maybe my memoirs (assuming my life gets interesting)...who knows? However, if I were to win a really big lottery jackpot, I'd quit my job and take voice and acting and dance lessons full time (in my big house with the personal trainer and chef ) and try to become a Broadway star. That's my ultimate dream. Extra Credit: What did your parents want you to be when you grew up? My Mom always stressed that she wanted me to be happy. She was big on "don't take a job for the money if it doesn't make you happy." I don't know what my Dad wanted me to be, aside from college educated. jlm, 9.16.05, 11:55am \| Date: 15 Sept, 2005 Time: 11:43am Subject: An Entry Without Pictures * * * * * Today we are back to work. I have just three days left on afternoons. Sunday marks the start of my 8:30 shifts. shudder I haven't talked about work much recently, because doing so would require some technical talk that I don't think I could really pull off. Essentially though, we're moving to a new switchboard system one resort at a time. Last week, I spent three days in the "little room of death" answering calls for just - one - resort. I read a whole book in one day. I also spent some quality time on Monday with two managers who wanted to learn more about the system. They cut over the ABC calls on Tuesday, and I'm no longer looking forward to my peaceful night. Heck - maybe I'll be back in the regular queue. And now, the TV geek speaks. The Emmy Awards show is on next week (Sunday? Monday?), as are the fall premieres of my favorite shows - Desperate Housewives and Grays Anatomy next Sunday and The Apprentice on Weds & Thurs (Martha and Donald respectively). I'm going to give the Martha version a chance, but I don't know how interesting she'll be. And thanks to my new work schedule, I won't have to tape anything. I'll be home to watch...and hopefully I'll be awake! jlm, 9.15.05, 11:52am \| Date: 14 Sept, 2005 Time: 11:38pm Subject: We Did Something Today! * * * * * Despite the fact that I slept in until 11:45 this morning (that's what happens when you wake up to pee at 9:20 and manage to fall back to sleep!), Scott and I were out the door by 12:45 and headed over to MGM. We had one purpose for today's outing: see the Lights, Motors, Action! Extreme Stunt Show. We tried once before, but it was still mobbed with dreaded summer people and we couldn't get near the place. Today was much better. The show was at 2:55, so once we found out they weren't giving out FastPasses, we got lunch (double cheeseburger & fries for Scott, grilled turkey sandwich on whole grain bread with cranberry slaw for me), saw Muppet Vision 3D, went through the muppet store (I want a Kermit pen and a Fraggle Rock t-shirt), and then headed back over to LMA. We got the most kick-@$$ seats, dead center right behind the tech booth, with two cute little girls and their Britney-wannabe mom in the row in front of us to watch before the show started. And then came the show...(click on any picture for a bigger image) That's right - I took a picture of a car in mid-air! The car jumped from the left truck to the right truck to the ground. I caught it in the lame moment inbetween jumps! Jet-ski tricks (splashing a lot), and the curtain call. The show was great, and obviously my still pictures don't do it justice. There were some great parts with motorcycles, fire, and even Herbie that I didn't manage to catch. Hopefully next time. After LMA, we waded through the crowd (see below) over to the Back Lot Tour. They re-did the water tank portion since the last time I rode...it's much cooler now. And during the tour, I snapped a picture of the coolest spaceship ever - the ship from Flight of the Navigator: Check out the crowd picture on the left. See the angels on the wires? They're already putting up the Osbourne lights! Can you believe it? After a ride on the Great Movie Ride (girl gangster? that was all wrong!), we headed out of the park. Alas, it was parade time. I managed to snap this picture on the way to the gate: Chicken Little - he's such a cute little dorky chicken. Makes me want to go back and have my picture taken with him and see the movie! From MGM, we headed to Epcot to ride Soarin'. Of course, to accomplish this, we parked at Boardwalk and hiked to Epcot. Alas, Soarin' broke down while we were waiting in line, but they gave us FastPasses to use next time we go (woo hoo!). The trip to Epcot wasn't a total loss though - I got this picture of a poster on a construction wall near the rose garden. That's right - Food & Wine is right around the corner!! On the way back to the car, we stopped at SeaShore Sweets on the Boardwalk for ice cream, and sat in cushy chairs in the shade while we ate. Then we went to Publix and got a ton of stuff for $30 (really - a ton! 5 gallons of water weighs a lot!). We lucked out with a lot of BOGO iteams - couscous, pasta, Oreos - and Yoplait yogurt (c'est si bon) 10 for $5. As for the rest of the night, we had cheese steaks for dinner (leftovers from last night), and then I decided to have a "spa hour" and we had foot rubs with peppermint lotion (such a good idea after a day of walking!) and orange-peach-vanilla smoothies. If only every weekend was so fun. Once the temperature breaks a little more, hopefully we'll get to use our Sea World tickets. I love Shamu! jlm, 9.15.05, 12:14am \| Date: 13 Sept, 2005 Time: 6:50pm Subject: Cats and Feet. (not a typo) * * * * * Monday Photo Shoot: Take a picture of your feet or a picture of your cat. Naturally, if you can get a picture of your feet and your cat, so much the better. I bribed Milo with a little time on the balcony this afternoon, and was rewarded with a whole bunch of new "cute kitty" pictures. Plus, when I heard feet, I just had to throw on a pair of toe socks for the occasion. Enjoy! And, not to be left out of the fun, here's a picture of Kilo which happens to have Scott's foot (and the faceless monkey)in it... You should check out these pictures, taken in May, to see just how much Scott's basil and aloe have grown! jlm, 9.13.05, 7:05pm \| Date: 12 Sept, 2005 Time: 12:01am Subject: Tech "Support?" My @$$ * * * * * I just fired off a rather snarky response to an e-mail I got from Yahoo tech support when I got home. Read along and let's try to see exactly where Jamie lost her patience... The Original Message my home page is not showing up. I'm getting the "This site is under construction." page instead. There IS an index.html file in my file manager - all lower case just like it's supposed to be. Please fix this so that my page is visible again! I then received an automated(?) reply from Daniel with customer support... Hello, Thank you for writing to Yahoo! GeoCities. As I understand you are unable to view your domain. If you continue to have problems with this issue, we would like to investigate in further detail. For us to look into the problem you have encountered, it will be necessary for Yahoo! staff to enter your account and conduct some tests to pinpoint the cause of this problem and explore possible solutions. Please reply to this message, giving Yahoo! permission to enter your account for testing purposes only... And so I replied, giving them the information that they requested. When I got home tonight, there was a message for me from "Wendy." Here's the vital part... You will need to replace this index file (index.html) with your homepage. We suggest that you first delete the default "index.html". If you do not have a default index file, simply rename your preferred homepage to "index.html". If you already have a home page in your directory and still see the default home page that we provided, you simply need to delete the default "index.html" page (a default index.html page is created in your account when you open your account) and rename your preferred homepage to "index.html". NOTE: File names are case sensitive, therefore "index.html" is not the same as "Index.html" or "INDEX.HTML". Also, note that the file extension ".htm" is not the same as ".html", so you will need to name your home page with a ".html" extension. Please do not hesitate to reply if you need further assistance. And reply I did! As I said in my original message, I HAVE a page called index.html -- I have had it as long as I have had this site (2 years). Very recently, this "under construction" page has replaced my index page when people (including me) try to access my site. once again, I have an html file entitled index.html* why did I give you access to my account if you were going to regurgitate the same "help" that I found online? thank you for your continued assistance in this matter. Five bucks says a week from now I'll be regretting not copying all of my files to disk before pissing off the tech support people! They get one more chance to fix the problem (which I maintain is in no way my fault and therefore they should be paying me back money for every day I'm without a homepage) and then I'm moving all of my stuff elsewhere. What a pain in the neck that'll be. UPDATE: (12:19am) I fixed my own problem. Renamed the index file "bob.html" and then renamed it back to "index.html" Apparently that's all it needed. I don't need no stinking tech support! jlm, 9.12.05, 12:11am \| Date: 11 Sept, 2005 Time: 10:34am Subject: poof * * * * * My homepage is gone. Really - when you go to scottandjamie.com you get a page that says the site is under construction. According to Yahoo, I don't have an index page. Shah - I can SEE an index page...why can't they? So I had to give a tech permission to go in and look around. Hopefully it'll be back soon. I'm rather annoyed. Penn State is 2-0 so far this season. Of course, they've beaten U of South Florida and Cincinatti. But at least they won. I had the pleasure of seeing Chuck's Buckeyes get their butts handed to them last night. I even watched a bit of the Alabama game with Scott. They won too. I love college football season! In honor of Sept. 11, Rosie is observing a moment of silence. In other words, she has stopped preaching impeachment and venom and support of Kanye West for the day. She has really gone off the deep end this time. jlm, 9.11.05, 10:42am \| Date: 10 Sept, 2005 Time: 11:31am Subject: Bandwidth * * * * * This picture serves absolutely no purpose, except to announce to the world that I have more bandwidth. Actually, I tripled what I had for $4.95/month extra. Oh the price we pay for our hobbies. Also, effective this week, the Saturday Six will be moving over to my other site. It really belongs there with the other quizzes. jlm, 9.10.05, 11:35am \| Date: 9 Sept, 2005 Time: 12:21pm Subject: Dear Diary * * * * * Dear Diary, I'm just so confused. I am being cyber-stalked by an ex-boyfriend. His own marriage is apparently so unfulfilling that he turns to you, diary, for comfort. He leaves anonymous comments and obviously doesn't think I know what an IP address is, or that there's a pink stand mixer on his active online wedding registry at Williams Sonoma. How do I let him know it's time to let go? He needs to understand that making fun of my life is not going to make his own life any more bearable. Love, Jamie jlm, 9.9.05, 12:22pm \| Date: 9 Sept, 2005 Time: 12:15am Subject: Good Ol' Southern _____ * * * * * Weekend Assignment #76: Tell us something you love about or from the American South. From sweet tea to Lynyrd Skynyrd, William Faulkner to the French Quarter, whatever makes you heart long for southern skies belongs right here. Hmm...I can only think of one thing from the American South that I love above all other... Scott! He was born 'n bred in Central Florida, college educated in Alabama, and had never been "up North" until after we were married. He's definitely a southern boy. He even starts speaking with a drawl when he talks to his mom or other southern people. Aside from Scott, I also love biscuits and gravy. There's something about the Old Timers Breakfast at Cracker Barrell that makes me happy to be alive - scrambled eggs, thick-sliced bacon, hash brown casserole, biscuits and a bowl of gravy (I give my grits away!). Mostly it's the gravy that keeps me coming back. Extra credit: In your opinion, which Southern state has the best barbeque? I'm going to prove definitively that I am, in fact, a Yankee. I don't actually like barbeque. I prefer my beans a la Boston, my corn on the cob boiled, my chicken fried, my burgers from Wendy's, my pork chops Shake-n-Bake'd, and my iced tea unsweet. Please don't shoot!! jlm, 9.9.05, 12:28am \| Date: 8 Sept, 2005 Time: 11:54am Subject: Good News...and Weird News * * * * * First the good news out of New Orleans. Beth's future in-laws have turned up safe and sound at a shelter in Texas. And Laura over at Adventures in Juggling has heard that her mom is safe as well. And gas across the street from me is down to $2.79. Woo. As I mentioned yesterday, I applied for two jobs. The closing for each is next Monday. Imagine my surprise when I got a rejection letter for one of them today. It's the same automated rejection I've gotten before - "we're looking for people prettier and smarter than you." What's ironic about this is that I have all of the required qualifications... High school degree or equivalent Proven knowledge and understanding of company policies and procedures Demonstrated strong computer proficiency within a Windows environment, including Excel and Word Demonstrated strong verbal and written communication skills Demonstrated strong interpersonal skills Demonstrated strong Guest Service skills Ability to be flexible with work schedule At first I was really annoyed that "the recruiter and hiring manager are considering other candidates whose qualifications, skills, and abilities more closely match the requirements of the position." I was thinking "I have all of that stuff!" Then I looked at my resume. It turns out that even though I have all of those qualifications, my resume doesn't spell them out. Sure, it says I work in a call center and work on a computer and was in security (which actually fills in all of those gaps), but my resume didn't get past the automated resume scanner. Oh well...there's still another application out there. And I'll definitely sit down with Beth (who seems to be our resident career counselor) some time soon and beg for help making my resume decent. This stupid mistake won't catch me again. jlm, 9.8.05, 12:05pm \| Date: 8 Sept, 2005 Time: 12:12am Subject: Friends Game: a Tutorial * * * * * The Friends Game (FG) is a mean-spirited spite-fest that I learned in college. The goal is to assign unwanted "friends" to your own friends. For example, if Scott and I were at the mall and we happened to see this person: I might say "your friend" to Scott, thereby assigning her as his friend. In FG, speed is sometimes of the essence (much like the punch buggy game). Let's say my mom and I were in Animal Kingdom and we saw wacky hat guy here: we both see him at the same moment, but Mom manages to spit out the words "your friend" first. He is now my friend. Sometimes, in mixed company, or when discretion is necessary (restaurants, weddings, the line for Buzz Lightyear), you may shorten the phrase to just "yours." Say I'm sitting across the table from this guy: . I may lean over to Scott and say "yours" before he has a chance to respond. muahahahaha FG can be played anywhere - malls, theme parks, restaurants, airports, the grocery store (I made two friends in spandex pants with mucho cellulite this evening at Publix). Sometimes it may be necessary to temporarily call off the game - the premiere of Star Wars Episode 3, at any time in my workplace, or at the DMV. Of course, everyone has their own spin on FG. Such house rules aren't always welcome by FG purists like myself. Mom likes to find cute men and assign them as her own friend. FOUL Scott once assigned me the entire state of Pennsylvania on the rationale that they were "my people." He, however, refused to accept Alabama as punishment. CHEAP SHOT Jaclyn assigned me a co-worker. ALLOWED...but I'm ticked I didn't think of it first. The irony of FG is that these guys are the ones who taught me to play it. (if you click on the link, ignore the text -- it's 7-year-old private jokes -- the pictures though are priceless). I hope this explains the positive humor...and the dark underbelly...of the Friends Game. Play with caution. Potential friends are everywhere! jlm, 9.8.05, 12:34am \| Date: 7 Sept, 2005 Time: 2:37pm Subject: Job Offer * * * * * I got a job offer today. They offered me $.53/hour more than I'm making today. Come December, it's still more than the $.42/hour raise I'm scheduled for. But I still turned it down. As stagnant as my current job has me feeling, I know that going to the other place wouldn't make me feel any better. Besides that, their training starts in less than two weeks. I just hate the idea of leaving and giving less than two weeks notice. I applied for two other jobs today. One falls under the Security umbrella, but really isn't. The other is a job within my own department that I applied for before but didn't get. This will be, for better or worse, the last time I apply for that job. Here's to hoping I made the right decision. I think I did. jlm, 9.7.05, 2:42pm \| Date: 6 Sept, 2005 Time: 11:34pm Subject: Exposing (more) Stupidity for the Masses * * * * * There was a great post over at Patrick's Place yesterday. The story, for those who might not be able to access the site, was of an 18-year-old guy who "stole" a school bus in New Orleans, loaded up a bunch of stranded people, and drove straight to the AstroDome. No joy-riding, no McDonald's runs...just rescuing people who couldn't rescue themselves. Apparently one of the Houston media outlets spun the story to accentuate the crime instead of the heroism. It's an interesting question. Sure it's a crime to steal a bus...but under the circumstances should the crime be punished? The posts were overwhelmingly positive, defending the man's actions. And then this guy came along... "As long as it can be shown that he took a bus no part of any active evacuation usage, leave him alone. He's already demonstrated the qualities that many of the NOPD officers who failed to stand a post seem to lack." Comment from screaminremo303 - 9/6/05 5:52 PM How can anyone sitting in the comfort of their home outside the danger zone - with electricity and food, without chaos, dead bodies, or deadly bacteria - even think to judge the people in New Orleans? How many stories of helpless officers played on CNN last week? How many officers were begged for help when there just wasn't any help to give? How many lost friends, family members, and houses? How many saw the city, which they were sworn to protect, destroyed on their watch? These officers have been given a superhuman task...and have performed beyond anyone's expectations...but are still only human. They are in anguish. There are cops who have taken their own lives. Most will probably deal with depression, anxiety, or some other facet of PTSD for the rest of their lives. I'll sing the praises of the NOPD and other New Orleans-based emergency services until I die...or at least until people like screaminremo303 shut up. An interesting (ok, interesting to me) sidebar item: This guy has quite the interesting AOL profile... Name ScreaminRemo Screamin' Remo Location Pleasantville, just outside Phoenix Hobbies & Interests creative writing, adult interests, making fun of liberals Screamin' Remo Favorite Gadgets Expandable baton, O.C. Spray, Taser, Ping U-wedge Occupation Author masquerading as a LEO. Screamin' Remo Personal Quote "No good deed goes unpunished" ...and his buddy icon is the G.W. Bush super buddy. Scott, I hate to assign you someone this ridiculous, but he is definitely your friend! jlm, 9.6.05, 11:54pm \| Date: 6 Sept, 2005 Time: 5:35pm Subject: Giving Christians a Bad Name Subtitle: is it too early for the silver lining? * * * * * I'm about to rant. But before I do, I'd like to plug the Bush-Clinton Katrina Fund. Where's Jimmy Carter these days anyway? I thought he was the great Samaritan president. Is he hiding in a bunker with Dick Cheney? During our little outing last night, we ended up in Scott's old office B.S.ing with his former co-workers. One of these people is a blow-hard who likes to sound impressive. He has a history of lying about everything from the weather to the history of the world. He's also a self-proclaimed Christian who goes to church every week and is probably a Deacon or something. Another one of the people in the conversation is a very very good friend of mine and Scott's. Also big in the church, and generally acts as a spiritual advisor to whomever needs it. Anyway, while we were in the office, the conversation of course turned to Katrina vs New Orleans. Mr. Blowhard starts rambling off statistics (given his track record, I'll assume they're false...but even if they were completely correct, they were also completely inappropriate). about how New Orleans has the highest crime in the country, the highest unemployment, the most corrupt police, blah blah blah. To say that he was implying that God was punishing them would be an understatement. The other person even compared the situation (Mardi Gras in New Orleans...casino boats in Biloxi) to Sodom and Gomorrah. Woo...just look at the sin washing away. No! That's not the way my God operates. My God doesn't kill innocent people to make a point. My God gave the people of New Orleans a chance to make a completely fresh start. Think about it - if the officials of Louisiana and the US Government aren't in too much of a hurry to give these people their ramshackle homes back, they have an opportunity to build the best-planned city in the country. They could fix the levees and build them up stronger than ever. They could build a downtown to be the envy of every city in the country. And the people who have scattered like dandelion seeds across the country have an opportunity to make a life someplace else. This is really an opportunity for change and improvement that hasn't been seen since settlers moved out West. My heart breaks for the people who lost their lives, or their loved ones, or even their pets in the past week. I can't even imagine how horrible they must be feeling right now. My wish is that they don't lose hope. I know that this is a painful time, but I also know that they have great times ahead. And to anyone out there who thinks that another human being deserves to have their entire world washed out from around them, I think you need to go to your God and ask for forgiveness for being such a horrible human being. jlm, 9.6.05, 5:59pm \| Date: 5 Sept, 2005 Time: 10:39pm Subject: 56 days * * * * * According to Channel 9, Orlando went 56 straight days where the temperature went above 90. And finally the streak is broken. It was absolutely beautiful today. It was breezy and not opressively hot. After work, Scott and I made a pilgrimage to the Kingdom for noodles. It turns out there's more than food in that park -- there's rides too! We only rode two - Buzz and the TTA. Just enough to make me remember why I work where I do. One hour in the fresh air in the shadow of the castle put me in a much better place. On deck for my weekend, two NetFlix movies: The Wedding Date and Alfie. I haven't seen either. Maybe I'll do a review. I finally decided what to do for my Weekend Assignment. I'm going to get that done tomorrow for sure. In the meantime, here's a link to everyone else's efforts thus far. And before I go, I wanted to share an e-mail my mom sent to me. I had no problem understanding the dialogue below...probably because I have conversations very similar every day at work! The following is a telephone exchange between a hotel guest and room-service at a hotel in Asia, which was recorded and published in the Far East Economic: Room Service (RS): "Morrin. Roon sirbees." Guest (G): "Sorry, I thought I dialed room-service." RS: "Rye..Roon sirbees..morrin! Jewish to oddor sunteen??" G: "Uh..yes..I'd like some bacon and eggs." RS: "Ow July den?" G: "What??" RS: "Ow July den?...pryed, boyud, poochd?" G: "Oh, the eggs! How do I like them? Sorry, scrambled please." RS: "Ow July dee baykem? Creke?" G: "Crisp will be fine." RS: "Hokay. An Sahn toes?" G: "What?" RS: "An toes. July Sahn toes?" G: "I don't think so." RS: "No? Judo wan sahn toes??" G: "I feel really bad about this, but I don't know what 'judo wan sahn toes' means." RS: "Toes! toes!...Why jew don juan toes? Ow bow Anglish moppin we bodder?" G: "English muffin!! I've got it! You were saying 'Toast.' Fine. Yes, an English muffin will be fine." RS: "We bodder?" G: "No...just put the bodder on the side." RS: "Wad?" G: "I mean butter...just put it on the side." RS: "Copy?" G: "Excuse me?" RS: "Copy...tea...mek?" G: "Yes. Coffee, please, and that's all." RS: "One Minnie. Scramah egg, creke baykem, Anglish moppin we bodder on sigh and copy....rye??" G: "Whatever you say." RS: "Tenjewberrymuds." G: "You're very welcome." jlm, 9.5.05, 10:51pm \| Date: 4 Sept, 2005 Time: 11:48pm Subject: Going...down?!? * * * * * Gas at the station across the street from us has held steady at $2.89 for a couple of days. On Disney property, it went from $2.99 this morning to $2.98 on my way home tonight. OK, so it's just a penny. At least it was a penny down and not a penny up. I still haven't found a station selling gas for over $3 for regular. knock wood In other news, Scott and I went to Conner's 4th birthday party today. It was all sorts of family...and us and Pam. We got to stay through cake and ice cream, but had to leave before presents because I had to go to work. We got him a dinosaur toy that makes noise. Apparently he's big into dinosaurs and pirates these days. He was such a cutie. Unfortunately, this account is maxed out on storage space, so until I add more I can't put in any more pictures. In the meantime, click here for 2 pics from today. I'm working a morning shift tomorrow (yay carpool!), and need to get some sleeeep. g'night! jlm, 9.4.05, 11:53pm \| Date: 4 Sept, 2005 Time: 12:19am Subject: Saturday Six * * * * * 1. What is the price of gas at your regular station? Have you made any changes to holiday plans because of gas prices? $2.89 at the BP across the street, $2.99 near work. No one around me wants to be the first to crack $3. And I'm thankful! As for the "holiday," you'll find me at work, making sure everyone else's "holiday" is pleasant. 2. Some people feel that the song that was #1 when they were born somehow helps shape their life. Which song was #1 when you were born, according to this site? Do you think it relates to your life at all? Da Ya Think I’m Sexy - Rod Stewart on the US chart, and Tragedy - The Bee Gees on the UK chart. I think it's funny that "Do Ya Think I'm Sexy" is my birth song....but I don't think either song relates to my life. :o) 3. Take this quiz: Which child does it say you are? Is it correct about your birth order? You Are Likely an Only Child At your darkest moments, you feel frustrated. At work and school, you do best when you're organizing. When you love someone, you tend to worry about them. In friendship, you are emotional and sympathetic. Your ideal careers are: radio announcer, finance, teaching, ministry, and management. You will leave your mark on the world with organizational leadership, maybe as the author of self-help books. Well, it got my birth order right...and some of the other stuff...although I don't agree with my ideal careers or my self-help authorship!! 4. What animal do you equate your spirit with and why? (This site may be helpful.) I choose the cougar. Not only am I a cat person, but the cougar is all about using the flow of nature to become a leader. Sounds like fun! 5. If you had to describe your personality as a nut (as in the eatable kind) what nut would you be and why? Well, I'll go with the nut I like the best - the peanut. I think I'm like a peanut because they aren't so tasty right out of the ground...but once they're roasted they're great alone, with raisins, buttered (as in peanut butter...not peanuts w/ butter!), in cookies, etc. They're diverse. And some people are allergic to them. 6. Who knows the "real" you better - - your real world friends or your Journal readers? Well, since my "real" friends and family mostly read this, I'd have to say they know me better. After all, they know where I live, and most random internet people don't. jlm, 9.4.05, 12:37am \| Date: 3 Sept, 2005 Time: 11:00am Subject: Scott * * * * * When I got home last night, my husband was still awake. When I woke up this morning, he was still in bed - watching TV and reading a book - but still laying there with me. How sad that this has become a pleasant novelty for me. Let's see...the week of the 11th we'll be working the same shift with the same days off. Then the week of the 18th, I switch to days. At least we'll have the same days off then. Choir rehearsals start that week as well, so maybe we'll be able to get together for dinner one other day a week. Nice thought, isn't it? By the way, John Kerry sent me an e-mail. He wants me to invite others to live with me. I wonder how many Congressmen in their big houses (with empty houses in their home states) are inviting people to live with them. As much as I'd love to invite someone into my home, all we have is a living room with two cats and one couch. But if there is anyone out there who has a spare room and thinks they'd like to help out, you can go here: yes, it's a project of MoveOn.org, but let's not hold that against them! Actually, I think this is a beautiful thing. And I'd enjoy having someone else living here not only because it would truly be wonderful to be able to directly impact someone else's life for good, but because I'd have such good blog fodder. If only we had a bigger space... jlm, 9.3.05, 11:13am \| Date: 2 Sept, 2005 Time: 11:46am Subject: Amazing! * * * * * I have a great story this morning about how strong as a human being I am. Last night, I killed a roach. With a sneaker. On the wall. The damn thing was climbing up the wall on Scott's side of the bedroom, and I really debated waking him up. I figured I'd go get a shoe for him before I woke him up. And then I thought he might kill me if I woke him up. So I smashed the shoe down (which woke him up anyway), heard the crack of the roach shell, followed by the most satisfying moment of my life -- not only had I killed it, but I didn't splat it against the wall - it fell into Scott's trash can below. It was self-cleaning!! After my moment of victory, I went back to bed and watched TV for another hour before my body decided it was ok to go back to sleep. And another story of heroism today -- I took a look at our finances, conferred with Scott, and we made a donation to the Red Cross. (don't tell anyone, but I'm still more proud about the roach!) jlm, 9.2.05, 11:54am \| Date: 2 Sept, 2005 Time: 12:09am Subject: Good Deeds * * * * * It seems that the Internet is full-to-bursting with suggestions on where donations should go, what prayers should be offered, what the government is doing right (and wrong), and I wanted to hi-light some of the blogs that I read regularly that have thrown their voice into the choir: Janette has done what I am doing...only on a much larger scale. Patrick, an animal lover, is supporting Noah's Wish, whose mission is to rescue stranded animals that have been left behind. Laura is desperately seeking information on her estranged mother from New Orleans...and still parenting a three-year-old (and 4 other kids!). Erinberry is pump-watching Sunny Side Up, a Central Floridian, has specific prayers laid out (for enough volunteers to be able to leave THEIR families...for doors of safe haven to open up to the thousands who are stranded without a home to go to...for the community to be able to re-establish itself quickly...and lots more) And the goal of Scalzi's Weekend Assignment is to create a photo montage of well-wishes from across the country. I haven't been able to do my weekend assignment yet...probably because Scott and I haven't been home and awake at the same time...and because I haven't been able to come up with something that doesn't sound trite and empty. Somehow my old standby "nothing is ever as good as it seems, and nothing is ever as bad as it seems" seems to fall flat. Actually, I think I'll end up dedicating it to Beth & Brian. They still haven't had word from Brian's dad or aunts and are totally stressing. Although Beth has put their names on every "searching for loved ones" message board out there. I guess that's really all you can do. Donate, pray, and wait. Does everyone else feel as helpless as I do? jlm, 9.2.05, 12:30am \| Date: 1 Sept, 2005 Time: 11:42am Subject: Pillows * * * * * I have four pillows on our bed. I really only use two of them under my head. Because our bed is longer than our mattress, one pillow goes between my sleeping pillows and the headboard so that they don't slip down behind the bed. And pillow #4 is my "huggy pillow." OK, I graduated from the teddy bear...but what else am I supposed to do with my arms when I'm not facing toward Scott? Anyway, these pillows have long-since worn out their usefulness. The top one might even be older than I am (I think I stole it from my dad at some point before college). The ones that are still plenty fluffy are feather pillows and have this unfortunate trait of feathers that stick out and poke you in the middle of the night. Every night I spend a good 5 minutes manipulating them into exactly the right position...and most mornings I wake up with a stiff neck. Why the history of pillows? The last time I went to Property Control (the company store where they sell excess items/lost and found/assorted randomness) with Jaclyn, they had two giant linen bins full of pillows for $1 each. The catch - they were used hotel pillows. I found one that was huge and thick and fluffy and I stood there and squeezed it and wondered, "how funky is this pillow really?" Could it be cleaned, or would I have to seal it in a giant zip-loc bag to keep from getting cooties from it? And so I pose the question: Is it possible to de-louse a pillow? jlm, 9.1.05, 11:55am \| Date: 1 Sept, 2005 Time: 12:08am Subject: Another Month * * * * * Welcome to September. This will be a month of many significant milestones: My 26 and 1/2 birthday, The month of $3 (please GOD don't let it go to $4 here) gas, Labor Day - a "holiday pay" day, The month when we discover just how much Americans care about eachother - will it be more or less than starving Africans and tsunami victims? I thought I should mention that this month's picture is not current. It was actually taken during our trip to PA for Dawn's wedding last year. I don't wear my glasses often because they are the wrong prescription, but coincidentally enough I'm wearing them tonight. I'm really worried about how this month is going to play out...not so much in the "woe is me" sense, but in the "what's happening here?" sense. Are we as a nation going to hang up our car keys and rely on bikes and mass transport? How long will it be before Canal Street is no longer a canal? How many Americans are newly homeless? What's going to happen to all those homeless people? ...and closer to home, will the heat finally break (saving us from another $150+ electric bill)? How will I handle working days (starting in 2 weeks)? Will Scott settle into his new job? I guess we'll just have to wait and see. jlm, 9.1.05, 12:18am \| Return to August.