Read to yourself

Actually today was about reading out loud. I love Dr. Seuss and it's really a blast to read out loud. The words swirl and twist and spin and circle back on themselves. But two Seuss books in a row left me feeling like my tongue was too big for my mouth! For the remainder of the day it was very hard not to write my emails in rhyme. The first prose I tried to read after the Seuss books I tried to get that rhyming cadence. It didn't work so well.

In spite of the tongue callastenics it's a great way to spend a lunch hour!

Past? Future? Present?

I found a very interesting article in the NY Times today Amnesiacs May Be Cut Off From Past and Future Alike. It seems that a new study has found that people with amnesia are very much stuck in the present. So while their past may be a mystery to them, their future memories are also affected. As the Times puts it “To the brain, it seems, remembered experience and imagined experience are reflections from the same mirror. When one is gone, so is the other.” The hippocampus seems to be a more of a major player in memory formation than was previously thought.

Being stuck is never good. I have loved ones in my life who are very much stuck in the past. In that way, they cannot move into the present or dream of the future. It’s very sad. Maybe they need amnesia.

A Sick Cat is Not a Happy Cat

In fact neither my cat or I are happy at the present moment. My poor ginger guy has got a urinary tract infection. I noticed it this morning and he's gotten worse since. I was able to get my vet on her pager and get a prescription called into CVS before they closed. It was fun when they had to put him into the computer so he is now registered with CVS for all his prescription needs! I got the first dose into him (and on me and the floor!) and am just waiting to see if he feels a bit better. He ate dinner but that was it. He finds comfort on the couch and my bed but his dripping is making for a mess. I had to line them with trash bags and then cover them with other blankets. My other bedding is in the wash now. I finally got him to take a bit of yogurt smoothie but I am worried about him being dehydrated.

Since he is a boy kitty, the fear of course is if he has crystals or a blockage. I pray it's just a simple UTI. He is heading to the vet, I'm just not sure if it will be later tonight or if he can hold off until 7am tomorrow. It's going to be a very long night.

Stupid, stupid man

I am still stunned about the statements that Bill O'Reilly made on his show O'Reilly Factor while discussing Shawn Hornbeck on January 15. O'Reilly stated, "I think when it all comes down, what's going to happen is, there was an element here that this kid liked about this circumstances," adding: "The situation here for this kid looks to me to be a lot more fun than what he had under his old parents. He didn't have to go to school. He could run around and do whatever he wanted." O'Reilly also asserted that "I don't believe this kid" enjoyed attending school. On January 16, O'Reilly further declared on The O'Reilly Factor, "I hope he did not make a conscious decision to accept his captivity because" his kidnapper "made things easy for him. No school, play all day long." (See article here Media Matters O'Reilly Factor Article)

How someone could make such stupid statements about a kidnapping is beyond my wildest comprehension. For Mr. O'Reilly to state that it is much better to be kidnapped and held by a pedophile than remain with your own family has me so angry I could just spit. This poor kid didn't go to Disney Land, he was taken from his family and held against his will. Who is this man? Why is he still on the air spouting his vile, ignorant opinions?

Not Everyone Lives Happily Ever After

I have seen the most amazing movie this weekend. It was torture waiting for it to open in wider release and finally it did. Pan's Labyrinth is most often described as an "adult fairy tale". I didn't think this would be an apt description. I was wrong. It's as apt a rendering of the horror of the Spanish Civil Was as Guernica is.

If you recall the fairy tales of our youth, there is always an undercurrent of violence. Poison apples, wicked stepmothers, a wolf that eats Grandma, houses of gingerbread to fatten lost children and so on. The difference with this movie is that the violence causes you to shrink back into you seat in the theater and watch through your fingers. The fantasy portion is breathtaking and so is the violence. This is truly a very grown up fairy tale. You would be doing yourself a favor by seeing this movie. If it's not playing near you, get in the car.

Snow of a different sort

I apparently was a bit overzealous in my wish for snow. I got snow, but only on my television not in my yard. I guess I should have been more specific! After being on the phone with the cable company and letting them do their thing, I now have no TV at all. I should have been happy with the snow.

So with no TV and school not starting for another week, I've had time to reflect on a few things that have been rattling around in my head this week.

The first would be the death of Lily Munster. I was saddened to see that Yvonne De Carlo had died. I know she had done other work, but to me she will always be Lily. I loved the Munsters when I was kid. I thought Lily was just the coolest. I secretly wanted to be her. I think it might have been the cool dress with the bat wings. I wanted to live in a house with secret passages. And the staircase that opened up for Spot. Just brilliant!

Other things on my mind are the two books I got from the library this week. Sky Burial: An Epic Love Story of Tibet by Xinran Xue and The Syringa Tree by Pamela Gien. The first is an epic story of a Chinese woman who went to Tibet to find her husband. It was a beautiful story of endurance. The second book was also a story of endurance in a way. It is one child's recollection of growing up in South Africa under apartheid. It was a moving, funny, touching, heartbreaking story. I finished it on the train and it brought tears to my eyes. They are both books that will stay with me for awhile.

Disconcerting weather

I just got home from dinner and realized I had left two windows open. It's January in New England, the heat is off and I have windows open at night. I also just killed a mosquito in my house. I am dying to go snowboarding. Instead, I went mountain biking. Where is winter?

iPoddity

I have a 16 month old 20G Photo iPod. I've loved it since I first pulled it out of it's package. I have taken very good care of my iPod. It's been covered and protected since day 1. I have never dropped it or done anything jarring to it. The first sign of a problem was one day on the train home. It froze up on me. I got home, went to the iPod support page and was able to reset it. The next time it froze up on me on the plane to New York at the holidays. I could not reset it and it stayed on until the battery wore out. Once again, it seemed fine when I got home.

I did not use my iPod at all between Christmas and New Year. One New Year's Day, I charged her up. I realized that the little charging icon wasn't showing up. All of a sudden, my iPod was making a frownie face at me http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=61771. It dawned on me that it was probably not a good sign. I followed the IPod support instructions but to no avail. I could not get my iPod to respond. So off to the Apple Store I went at lunch time today.

She wouldn't respond for them either. It was when the Genius behind the counter asked me if I had the Apple Protection Plan that I knew it was not good news. So with no protection, I could not get a replacement iPod. It was interesting to note that the protection plan only covers you for 2 years and they recommended I get a Nano insted since it has no hard drive.

I dejectedly walked back to work mourning the loss of my iPod. When I Googled to see if anyone had any suggestions other than just getting a new iPod, I was pleasantly surprised by the Whack-A-Mole theory of iPod repair found here. http://supamb.com/supafine/2006/02/16/resurrecting-your-dead-ipod-whack-a-mole-theory/

Apparently, whacking your iPod against a hard surface a couple of times might be enough to get it up and running again. I figured I had nothing to lose so I got home from work and plugged my iPod into my computer. I then took it in my hand and whacked it hard on the floor 5 times. At first nothing. But then, it was a miracle! It came back to life with the "Do Not Disconnect" screen and ITunes was able to pick it up again.

It is now charging away and in seemingly fine working order. Who would have thought that a whack would do it! I'll take it on the train tomorrow and see how it works.

Hole in My Broken Heart

2006 was not a good year. I wanted to do a wrap up of it here, but it was while looking back that I realized how painful it was. The crystallizing moment was the death of my Grandfather. When he took ill and was rushed to the hospital in March I figured that was it. He hung on until June. I did not plan to watch him die. Rushing from work to get to his bedside 15 minutes before he took his last breath was both something I was glad I was there for and something I really wanted to miss. His absence has created a hole in my heart that time has not healed yet.

So I was more than happy that 2007 dawned. A new year! A fresh start! No more tears or hurt from people who I love and have bared my soul to.

It was nice while it lasted. Twenty-two hours into the New Year I found myself with a broken heart. This one from a person who led me to believe he wanted what I wanted. "I love you, but.." has to be the cruelest phrase in the English language. Thanks for finally letting me know.

I sincerely hope you find what you’re looking for.

Christmas Wrapping

To all the people who decorate the exterior of their homes, thank you. The more lights the better as far as I am concerned. And extra credit to people who use colored lights. I think this takes a lot of courage since I remember the big, colored light bulbs that decorated my childhood tree. They used to get so hot you wondered how they didn’t ignite the tree. While white lights can be elegant and lovely, I will always have a special place in my heart for multi-colored Christmas lights. To my neighbors who have the one lone strand of white lights strewn on their bushes, close but no cigar. It looks like someone tripped while hanging lights and that’s where they stayed. Try harder next year. To my other neighbor who decorated their porch, it looks great. But do you think that decorating the railings was such a good idea?

Now I can enjoy a break from work and from school and chip away at my Netflix queue and visit the library.

Happy Holidays!

Welcome to Whoville

Well it's official. Christmas is imminent. I saw It's a Wonderful Life on Saturday night.
What a great movie. It makes me cry my eyes out every time. It's not Christmas without it. I also saw the Grinch. 30 minutes, narrated by Boris Karloff. There is no other.
And to wrap it all up, Charlie Brown's Christmas. It's really a trifecta of holiday-ness.

In spite of all the tv cues, I just do not feel Christmassy. Maybe the stress of finals and the fact that it's freakishly warm outside are not helping. I don't require a white Christmas but winter would be nice.

Maybe I should finally mail (ok, start writing) my Christmas cards.

Final frenzy

Well I am getting down to the wire. I have my last final due in a week. It's such a tough class that it is going to take me every moment to finish it. Then I will get a glorious month off! I can't wait. It's tough balancing work and school but then add into it the Christmas mix and December becomes just insane. I haven't bought a single present or mailed a single card as of this moment. While I did put a wreath on my door, that's as far as I have gotten. At this point, I just want to put my books and notes away and clean my house! Forget decorating, I'd just like to wash my kitchen floor.

Snow Envy

After two oddly unseasonable days I will admit that I have snow envy. I know that the storms in the Midwest were not fun but I am really ready for a foot of snow. It's been too long since our last one. I miss that stillness that blankets everything with a thick, white layer of fluffy snow. I want to clomp around in it, shovel it, wear my boots and brush my car off. I want to snowshoe, snowboard, cross country ski and make snowballs. I want to walk out the door in the morning and see my breath.

We may get some snow on Monday and I am crossing every finger I have! Though I finally got a wreath for my door, it has not felt like Christmas to me. I know that staring down finals has distracted my, but I was missing the spirit. So today, I stopped at my local Christmas tree farm and bought a balsam wreath. Just walking amongst all those trees it smelled like Christmas.

Someday I will have my own Christmas tree.

Thanksgiving

We all have that one dish that makes an appearance each Thanksgiving that no one knows where it came from or who started it. But there it is. Cranberry Relish with walnuts. Ambrosia. Jell-O molds. For my family it is Green Bean Casserole.

I don't even know what's really in it other than the beans and the crispy fried onions for the topping. My mother loves the stuff. She also has a love of stuffing that I can't quite understand either, but that's another story. She makes it in spite of the rest of us mocking her. She asks us to try it. Once, many moons ago, I did. It did not impress me.

We did not have Green Bean Casserole this year. Thanksgiving was good, but seemed a bit more subdued. I think the loss of my grandfather this summer has got everyone shaken up. It seems as if the whole family is unsure of their footing now.

Let's talk turkey

This fall while riding my bike I noticed that my neighbors had gotten some rather unattractive lawn ornaments. Upon closer observation I realized they were in fact four turkeys. Up close they weren't so bad. Apparently I am not the only New Englander with turkeys in the back yard. On NPR today there was a tale of turkeys from a town outside of Boston. Apparently they had a flock of turkeys with a very aggressive tom or two. The most aggressive Tom met his end on the very crowded Route 9 but not before terrorizing and attacking the residents.

So this Thanksgiving, should you find yourself face to face with an aggressive turkey (and not the kind in the plastic with Butterball stamped on it) be strong and use a broom to thwack it away! This was advice they offered. It cracked me up. Who has a broom that handily within reach? I'd be rushed by turkeys before I could get my broom. And yes, I know that it could be a 20 or 30 pound bird and they do have a talon but still, it's a bird!

Forgive me not

"Once a woman has forgiven her man, she must not reheat his sins for breakfast." - Marlene Dietrich

"One forgives to the degree that one loves." - Francois de La Rochefoucauld

If you say that you forgive someone for a past wrong, does that automatically require the forgiven to do penance and re-hash the event? Can you get forgiveness without having to pay a penance? If you are the forgiver are you then entitled to unlimited rehashing of the event in order to completely grant forgiveness? If this is a requirement then is it truly forgiveness? Does this requirement for going over and over the events of the past mean that you are truly not forgiven? Does it indicate that you have not truly come to terms with the past?

It's quite a conundrum. It feels to me like telling someone you are sorry when you don't really mean it. If you say "I have forgiven you" but then make me explain again and again what happened have you truly forgiven me?

How are you helpful?

I have had a pretty rough few weeks. Nothing major but it was disruptive, aggravating, disappointing, stressful, and thoroughly not fun. I am very in touch with my sense of empathy, as anyone who spends five minutes with me can attest. So while my friends and loved ones listened to me vent and offered their sympathy, I did keep in mind that there are others out there who have things a lot worse than me.

Why is it then, that when told of my saga one such acquaintance decided to basically tell me that it could have been worse? I mean my house didn't burn down with my dog in it like a friend of his. All I wanted was a bit of acknowledgement that my week was tough instead I got a diatribe on how much worse it could have been. Gee, thanks. I feel so much better already.

Election Ennui

Normally I love to vote but I am so glad that Tuesday is Election Day. I am so sick and tired of all the stupid, negative ads that have been playing incessantly on tv. It's aggravating. If I hear one more commercial about how all hell will break loose if the grocery stores gain the right to sell wine I think I will scream.

Since I am not a target group for politicians (single, no children yet, renter) you would think that I would not be as politically involved as I am. What spurs me on is that I truly hold strong to the belief that my predecessors fought hard for me to be able to go and vote on Election Day. The fact that women were only granted the right to vote only with the passage of the 19th amendment of the Constitution in 1920 makes me obligated to cast my ballot and I do so proudly.

I have also decided this election season that any candidate who had supporters who left their campaign fliers under my car windshield at the train station automatically does not get my vote. There is nothing worse than getting off the train in the dark, getting in your car and realizing that there is a stupid flyer under your windshield wiper. It is beyond aggravating.

Election Day also makes me think of when I was a child how my grandmother used to work the polls. I would go with my parents and see my gram chatting with all her girlfriends and giving people their ballots. I couldn’t wait to be grown up enough to vote. So this Tuesday when I wield my Sharpie marker I will remember her and proudly do my civic duty.

Liar liar pants on fire

I am on day 12 of no internet access thanks to Earthlink's continued inability/desire to fix the problem that is causing the outage. I have spent hours on the phone with them. Each time I am told that a senior level engineer will be calling me back. It hasn't happened yet.

Yesterday, I got this email from Earthlink which made me so mad I filed a complaint with the Better Business Bureau. Not once has Earthlink tried to contact me. They have my home number, cell number, address and email address. I've gotten nothing at all. So the fact that this is clearly a lie made me outraged. Not only are they not helping me in any way, fixing the problem or being customer service focused now they are just flat out lying. Why on earth would I continue with this company? That's exactly what the Verizon rep I spoke with today wanted to know.

You contacted us recently concerning your EarthLink High Speed Internet access.
We have been unable to reach you. If you are still experiencing issues with your
service please contact us toll-free at 1-866-XXX-XXXX and reference Trouble
Ticket # XXXXXX

Sincerely,

Ticketing Response Operations Network
Earthlink, Inc

Earthlink Sucks

I have been a customer of Earthlink for seven years. Up until recently I have had no problems with them. I've recommended them to everyone under the sun. I will not be doing that anymore.

I am on day 8 without my DSL connection. It mysteriously went down last week and hasn't been back. During that time, I've spent many an hour making friends in India on the tech support line. They've told me some doozies that I've compiled. I will share my favorites with you here.

"I have upgraded your case to priority. Our engineers will work on this. You will receive a call tomorrow. This will be resolved within 24 hours." This was last Thursday. Obviously none of this happened.

"Give me a minute to read through the case notes." This man apparently suffered some sort of horrible cubicle accident since he left me on hold for over an hour, and then disconnected me. I have visions of a staple gone awry or a life threatening papercut.

"You have my personal guarantee that this will be resolved in 6-12 hours. Our line technicians will contact you." I tried hard to believe this one since he seemed so earnest, but just couldn't. As it turns none of this happened either.

"Your modem appears to be broken so I am recommending you order another one. It will $49." This was all a big lie. My modem was not broken so there was no need for me to order another one. As my friend pointed out, they just wanted to shut me up and buy themselves some time. So they came up with telling me my modem was broken. I refused to pay the $49.

"I will transfer you to a supervisor. You will receive a call in 15 minutes just checking to see that the call was successfully transferred." I think we can all see where this was going. I got disconnected and it's been four days and no one has called to check.

"The problem is with the brand of modem. You should go buy your own and then call us and tell us if it works." I did not realize I had been added to the Earthlink payroll to troubleshoot modem issues. Even better, they're willing to ship me a different brand of modem, but it won't get here until next week, which will be two weeks without my DSL.

"Technicians are working on this problem." Apparently they aren't because it's been over a week and nothing has been fixed.

"If we had more customers who had this problem we would not have sent you that modem." Well that's a relief. Unfortunately for me, I am one of the handful who does have this problem. So they sent me a modem that had know issues with Verizon. Thanks so much.

"We appreciate your patience." Oh that's funny but I have no patience. I lost it last week while I was waiting by my phone for someone to call me.

As of this moment, I am done with Earthlink. I will be switching carriers on Monday.