Remember not to listen to sad audiobooks when at work. It doesn’t quite do to feel your eyes welling up with tears*, which of course is quite ridiculous in an office environment—especially as there is no outward cause to be comphrehended by coworkers.

Also remember to keep better track of which books really are sad in parts. As silly as it may be, especially considering it is a children’s book, and one I read at least half a dozen times as a little girl, Anne of Green Gables is awfully sad near the end.

* Let it be known that I didn’t ACTUALLY cry, just came way closer than is appropriate for a work setting, and no one noticed, so it’s all good.

Posted at 1:21 PM | (2)

The Olympics have now concluded for another 2 years. Admittedly, I think I am more a fan of the summer competitions, although I do really like the ice dancing and figure skating, and the fancy ski jumps are pretty cool.

There was one thing I noticed while watching the ice dancing and figure skating competitions which started to drive me crazy. Those of my readers residing in other countries were thankfully spared the annoyance. I am talking about commentator Dick Button. Even though he is a former skater, he never seems to focus on the technicals, but rather the aesthetics. Ok, I get that there is supposed to be a color commentary person, but it isn’t very colorful when you use the same adjective for every person/pair. I swear, after almost every performance, all he could say was that “they were very pleasant to watch.” Um, ok, thanks for that. He didn’t seem to care about much of the technical stuff, just whether or not he got bored and whether the performance was “pleasant.” It starts to get old after the 1000th time he says it.

Those of you in other countries, do you have such commentating? Was there someone who provided the non-expert opinions and who just kept saying annoying things? Did you watch much of the Olympics? I will admit I still am a bit behind, having Tivoed the events that interested me. Since it taped 4 hour segments at a time, it takes awhile to sit through—especially if I’m doing something else at the same time and forget to fast forward.

On a related “finishing” note, I finished sewing up my knitted sweater yesterday afternoon. Woo! It actually looks like a sweater! And it even fits! It’s supposed to be a looser sweater (not totally form-fitting), and it looked normal when I tried it on, but I think it’ll be even better after I block it (wet it and then shape it to make it look more uniform). Anyway, I’ll try to remember to take a picture and post it. I may not be able to wear it around certain people who have an aversion to all things stripey, but we’ll see! At any rate, I guess it was more about making the thing than whether or not it becomes a regular part of my wardrobe.

Posted at 9:03 AM | (0)

I don’t normally post these little quiz memes, but I thought this answer was amusing. Fear me!! :)

You Are 36% Evil

A bit of evil lurks in your heart, but you hide it well. In some ways, you are the most dangerous kind of evil.

Posted at 5:30 PM | (2)

My company’s offices are enclosed in a business building, which in turn is surrounded by a few other such building complexes. All of these businesses are serviced by a large parking area, with some parking in front, some on the side, and some in the back.

Due to its slightly closer proximity to the freeway, I prefer to park in the front of the building. Near where I park are a few spaces designated for the use of our company as well as the one downstairs. Sometimes I notice that one of my company’s part-time employees parks in one of these spots, even if regular spots are available. Sometimes these regular spots are even closer to the doors of the office, meaning that said employee didn’t park there because it was closer.

Is it right for someone to park in a guest spot when one is not technically a guest? What defines a company guest? Is it someone who does not work full-time? Is it someone who is not paid to be there? Or someone who IS paid, but who does not come to the offices on a regular basis? Should someone be allowed to park there when there is an abundance of other parking available?

This past week the parking lot (at least in the part I park in) has been exceptionally crowded. Normally even when I show up at 10am I can find at least 1 spot, even if it’s farther away. However, even coming at 9:15am failed to yield me a spot one morning. I arrived much earlier today and found the amount of spots I usually see later in the morning. I must admit though that one of the days when I failed to find parking, I did park in the Guest Parking myself, but when I returned from lunch and found other non-marked spots, I parked in those instead.

I’m not sure that this post went entirely in the direction that I intended. I suppose that really I am just at a loss as to why this person always parks in those Guest Parking spots. I could just ask, but what’s the fun in that? Besides, I’m not sure I’ve EVER spoken to this person before, so demanding to know why they park in certain spots is probably not the best way to strike up initial conversation.

I guess I may never know.

Posted at 2:50 PM | (0)

Because I just remembered that today is Tuesday and not Monday (yay for holidays!), I decided to do the guess the song meme again. Post your answers in the comments if you know them!

1. Questioning the strongest of hearts, that’s when we must start believing in the one thing that has gotten us this far.

2. Driving back to her apartment, for the moment we’re alone. Yea she’s alone, and I’m alone, and now I know it. Brick by Ben Folds Five guessed by: $teve

3. Such a tough enchilada, filled up with nada. Taylor by Jack Johnson guessed by: Jessica

4. I won’t miss your arms around me, holding me tight. And if you ever think about me, just know that I’ll be all right.

5. Never thought I’d let a rumor ruin my moonlight.

6. I had to find you, tell you I need you, tell you I set you apart.

7. Take my picture by the pool, cuz I’m the next big thing. Beverly Hills by Weezer guessed by: Kevin

8. I don’t know when I got bitter but love is surely better when it’s gone.

9. Suppose I said you’re my saving grace. My grace.

10. The past is gone but something might be found to take its place. Hey Jealousy by Gin Blossoms guessed by: $teve (and Damian, who pointed out the lack of the word “Hey”)

Posted at 3:36 PM | (4)

Ok, well, technically, my weekend is still going, as today is a holiday. Most of the country has today off, but I can think of at least two people who don’t. Sorry guys, I hope you have a good day at work. At the very least, your commute will be really good! :)

On Saturday evening I went with Steve to a semi-formal fundraiser dinner. The event included a silent auction and he was sad to learn that one of the items he always used to bid on had become a raffle item. He bid on other things, including a trip to Disneyland, which we lost and I was sad about, but he did win 2 tix to go see a Dodger game whenever he wants (excluding Yankee games) so that’s cool.

Other than that I spent quite a bit of time making money for the company I freelance for. Woohoo! I also spent some time being kept awake by the thunder, lightening, and hail that swept through the area. Pretty crazy, especially when you consider that a week ago it was 80 degrees! It went from being as hot as a summer day, to dumping snow in our local mountains, all in a few short days.

Anyway, it’s early in the morning and cold, so I think I’m going to go get back under my blankets. :)

Posted at 8:20 AM | (0)

Last night Steve took me for my nice Valentine’s Day dinner. We got all dressed up (Dressed mostly in black (with the exception of our shirts, which provided the only splash of color), we looked like hot assassins when we had our black jackets on. A random aside, to be sure, but not any less true.) and went down to the Harbor Restaurant, where he scored us a table overlooking the water, as opposed to one all hidden in the back like they first headed us toward.

We got dinner, drinks, dessert, the whole thing. After that we watched National Treasure, which wasn’t all that exciting and was a bit predictable. Oh well, at least it was still a nice evening spent hanging out together.

At any rate, I had a very nice evening and it’s always cool when we both dress up. :)

Posted at 9:55 AM | (0)

Happy Valentine’s Day! Anyone out there have any big plans for the holiday?

Steve and I will hang out tonight, though we are doing a nice dinner on Thursday rather than today. He has to work a little later than usual, and all the good places will probably be overcrowded—assuming they take anyone without reservations, since we didn’t make any.

Here at work a girl in the department next to mine gave us all Barbie Valentines—I assume left over from ones her daughter probably took to school. Also got some heart-shaped sugar cookies and other candy, yay!

<3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3

Posted at 1:23 PM | (0)

Dear Guy Who Called Me Last Night at 2:30am Asking for Megan (TWICE),

Hi, my name is not Megan. It wasn’t the first time you called, and it still wasn’t on the second time (1 minute later). I would like to share with you my thoughts on the situation.

So yea, dude, either she gave you a fake number, or you should call at a time NOT in the middle of the night, when you can be sure you are dialing the number correctly, and possibly not wake someone else up…TWICE.

I am not sure if you finally reached her after carefully redialing the number a third time, or if you wised up and stopped calling the same, obviously wrong number after the second try. I suppose though, the real person to blame here is Megan. She has apparently given the impression that not only was she interested in receiving your phone calls, but that she would like to receive them very late at night when most people are asleep. Maybe she was on her way back from the bar where you just met her and she drunkenly gave you her number with some of the digits transposed. Regardless though, maybe you should try the Swingers approach and wait 3 days instead of 30 minutes to call, and maybe make that call during the more socially acceptable calling times.

I suppose I could’ve just turned my phone off, but I don’t like to do that. My cell is my only phone line, and what if there was an emergency? I also have a habit of forgetting to turn it back on once it is off (probably because I always leave it on). Besides, why should I have to change for you, a person I don’t even know?

I do thank you for not being obnoxious or rude, and for not continuing to bug the person on the other end of the phone, who, while female, was not who you intended to reach. In conclusion, next time try out a new number in the daytime or keep confirmed digits in a cell phone where you won’t misdial them in the dark of night.

Sincerely (and a bit tiredly),

Jennifer

Posted at 12:20 PM | (0)

Yesterday after I work I headed over to Zodo’s, the local bowling alley, to attend a small going-away gathering for a girl I used to work with at the Library. She is finally leaving the University and starting a new job closer to her home in Ventura.

We all met, not in the bowling alley section of the place, but in the taphouse section of the establishment, where we all ordered drinks and some food and just hung out. Some people left a little earlier than others, but the last of us left around 8pm or so.

At any rate, I don’t really see or talk to these people much, so it was nice to see them again, as they are quite nice. I suppose it was also nice to go do some hanging out event thingie, since I don’t usually do too many of those. It also reminded me that I haven’t been bowling in awhile, and maybe I should! :)

Posted at 9:22 AM | (3)

Have you ever driven a route so many times that you just sort of go on autopilot without even noticing? When you’re growing up and your mom accidentally tries to drive you to her office instead of taking you to school because that’s where she’s used to going at 8am, you laugh and wonder how on earth they could get mixed up.

While I have found myself suddenly heading on some unintended, yet overly familiar path, what I find scarier is when you realize you can’t recall having passed certain terrain. When driving from SB to home this weekend, as I was approaching the usual downgrade on the 101, I realized that I totally hadn’t even noticed the semi-large upgrade that precedes it.

I used to always notice this upgrade because my old car would only be able to take it going 30mph, maybe a little faster if I got a good head start. With my current vehicle, it’s not as obvious when I’m climbing the hill, because my car is able to go a normal pace over the hill and has a maximum speed of more than 80mph.

It’s kinda freaky to realize you just drove a whole large section and might not have been paying very close attention. Maybe I can blame it on the familiarity of the road—I’ve driven it dozens of times. Or perhaps it is due to all those driving video games I used to play as a kid—as a result, I’m used to driving while paying attention to other things, like the song on the radio that I’m singing to, but still pay enough attention to the road. How else would I have known to turn around the bend and not crash into the center divider?

The other freaky thing about driving this weekend was when I attempted to drive back during the Super Bowl. I assumed that if I went after it started, that there would hardly be any traffic. After all, they always hype how *everyone* watchs it. I pretty much expected to be the only person on the road, save for 3 other females or something.

I totally underestimated the amount of drivers. The traffic may have been a little less overall, but only slightly. I was far from the only car as I traveled through LA, Ventura, and SB counties. Maybe some people were running late to their designated party, or maybe they had the same idea as me. Also surprising was the number of male drivers, and those with more than one passenger I saw. Very strange.

Or maybe everyone is realizing that the Super Bowl is way overhyped anyway, and the commercials haven’t been really good in years.

Posted at 4:23 PM | (1)

I am at my parents’ house this weekend because yesterday we had a gathering for my dad’s birthday. He is turning 60 tomorrow. Jeez, when did my parents get so old? Well, actually, I think I’ll be more freaked out when they hit 70.

The gathering wasn’t too large—just a friend of my dad’s and his wife, my grandma, my aunts/uncles, and cousins, along with my one cousin’s little kids. All of us young people played “soccer” with the little kids. I say it in quotes because it wasn’t technically a game so much as kicking the ball at each other on the small grass area, without keeping score or assigning positions to anyone.

We also did some karaoke, though there weren’t too many songs to choose from. At any rate, it was a nice gathering and I’m pretty sure my dad enjoyed the party meant to signify his transition to another decade of life.

Posted at 12:28 PM | (2)

The answer, so far, is nothing. Well, except for the occasional mildew, I suppose.

The shower in my bathroom is one of those shower/tub combinations, enclosed with a shower curtain. In the mornings, after my shower, I pull the curtains closed to make sure all the water drips down and the curtain dries off. In the afternoon, when I get home from work, I will open the curtain up to circulate air in there a bit. Well, and make sure there isn’t some killer lurking in my shower. You never know, right?

It’s not that I actually expect someone to jump out of my shower, but then again, it is a thought that crosses my mind whenever I enter the room while the curtain is closed. I enter from the right-hand side, and to open the curtain I have to do so from the left, so I wouldn’t see someone lurking in there until it was too late and I was too far in to escape.

In one scenario, I pull back the curtain to find a deranged maniac. In another, I’m in the far corner of the room and glance over through the part of the shower where the curtain cannot close around, and see someone just lying (well, actually, I suppose he is standing in my picture) in wait, at which point he would most surely attack.

Not that I’ve given this much thought.

Of course, any scenario is entirely absurd. I mean, first, someone would have to break in without me noticing. While the breaking in might not be impossible, I’d like to think I’d notice something “wrong”. Second, this person would have to be sitting around waiting for me to return and enter the bathroom. Who knows how long that could take?! And third, this person would have to go through all this trouble for me, as opposed to the millions of other people in the world.

As I said, it’s not that I actually think anyone is there so much as the thought that someone COULD hide in an enclosed shower and I might not know until I am surprised upon pulling back the curtain. And to think, I haven’t even seen any movies where people get killed in their showers, though I always did have an overactive imagination.

Posted at 5:27 PM | (2)

You know what’s kinda fun? Driving out of the parking structure that is adjacent to the library downtown. Instead of driving through each level and passing rows of parked cars to get to the exit, you just enter this downhill spiral, which opens up on each level to allow cars to join in the fun.

Once in, you drive around, and around, and around, and around, making one a little dizzy, but in a good way. The turns aren’t too sharp so you can just sit back and enjoy moving in a clockwise spiral until you finally reach the end.

I’m always a bit sad when I reach the end. The best part though is that even if you park on the ground level, the only way to exit is to go up a level and take the spiral down! It’s like the coolest thing ever. No, I didn’t just drive through it today. Uh, why do you ask? ;)

Posted at 7:26 PM | (6)