February 26, 2008
Twenty-five Percent
The quadannual event known as my birthday is nigh upon us. I've already received a half-dozen cards (some from wonderful stamp-addicted strangers!) and one hilarious ecard:
Posted by criminal at 5:24 PM | Comments (1)
February 23, 2008
Gallery Work
I upgraded the gallery on Criminal Grace last month but haven't had a chance to play around with it until today. The new version is so much easier and faster, making it almost a pleasure to upload photos. There's even a nifty Windows widget that makes it a cinch to upload directly to the gallery from my computer. I have a lot of uploading to do, so that really helps.
Sadly, I somehow lost the Events and Celebrations section, so I'll have to rebuild that soon. I also lost the crafty section, which I've been working on rebuilding today. I started by posting the cards I created last night during the Virtual Meeting of the A Muse Addicts, which was a lot of fun.
Now, if I could just get myself to photograph all of my cards before I sell or mail them, I'll be all set.
Posted by criminal at 3:02 PM | Comments (0)
February 22, 2008
Snow Paralysis
There's just something about snow in New England that gets everyone in a tizzy.
Discussions of the forecast, road conditions, and all the storms in the last twenty years echo through the office. Each person tries to outdo the other with their wild and woolly storm stories. Memories of twelve-foot drifts, treacherous ice-glazed roads, and panic-striken commutes longer than the work-day send them running for the door hours before closing time. And then the super market to pick up the bread and milk they'll need to survive the evening that they'll be stuck indoors. Impending snow can sabotage workplace productivity here like few other events.
Maybe it was the same in the Midwest and I just never noticed, but I really thought New Englanders were made of sturdier stuff. They're predicting 3-5" this afternoon and 6-10" by tomorrow morning, and there seems to be a high level of panic about it. Sure, it's enough to make the roads bad for the evening commute, but not enough to strand anyone at work.
Posted by criminal at 11:50 AM | Comments (0)
Movie Meme Hints
2. spoken by Jack Nicholas
8. spoken by Clark Gable
13. that Jell-O on springs is Marilyn Monroe
Posted by criminal at 10:40 AM | Comments (1)
February 21, 2008
Movie Quote Meme
Think of 15 of your favorite movies, go to IMDB and find quotes for each. Post the quotes. When someone guesses the movie, add the movie name and the person who got it right. (No fair using IMDB to find the answer)
- These walls are funny. First you hate 'em, then you get used to 'em. Enough time passes, you get so you depend on them. That's institutionalized.(The Shawshank Redemption - Gillian)
- DS: Well, the real reason that you've been sent over here is because they wanted you to be evaluated... to determine whether or not you are mentally ill. This is the real reason. Why do you think they might think that?
RM: Well, as near as I can figure out, it's 'cause I, uh, fight and f**k too much. (One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest - Carol) - ...you don't have bones of glass. You can take life's knocks. If you let this chance pass, eventually, your heart will become as dry and brittle as my skeleton. So, go get him, for Pete's sake! (Amelie - Sarah W)
- I'm old... I know I don't look it, but I'm beginning to feel it in my heart. I feel... thin. Sort of stretched, like... butter scraped over too much bread. I need a holiday. A very long holiday. And I don't expect I shall return. In fact I mean not to. (Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring - Gillian)
- You're a thirty-year-old kid. Soon you'll be a fifty-year-old kid. Pretendin' you're hearin' cheers when there ain't any. Dreamin' and drinkin' your life away. Heroes in the real world live twenty-four hours a day, not just two hours in a game. Mendacity! You won't... You won't live with mendacity? Well, you're an expert at it! The truth is pain and sweat and payin' bills and makin' love to a woman that you don't love any more. Truth is dreams that don't come true, and nobody prints your name in the paper 'til you die. (Cat on a Hot Tin Roof - Jon)
- This is a $4,000 sofa, upholstered in Italian silk. It is not just a couch. (American Beauty - Alistair)
- JR: Oh, no. Where's R?
EV: R?. He chickened out on me back at the studio.
JR: No he didn't. I hit him in the head with a frying pan and put him in the trunk... so he wouldn't get hurt.
EV: Makes perfect sense. (Who Framed Roger Rabbit - Tara) - I've always thought a good lashing with a buggy whip would benefit you immensely.(Gone With the Wind - Carol)
- C: Why can't I have a normal boyfriend? Just a regular boyfriend, one that doesn't go nuts on me!
B: Everybody wants that, dear. It doesn't exist. (As Good As It Gets - Sarah W) - What's the décor? Early Mexican brothel? (Chocolat - Carol)
- I already told you: I deal with the god damn customers so the engineers don't have to. I have people skills; I am good at dealing with people. Can't you understand that? What the hell is wrong with you people? (Office Space - Gillian)
- Will you look at that! Look how she moves! It's like Jell-O on springs. Must have some sort of built-in motor or something. I tell you, it's a whole different sex! (Some Like It Hot - Carol)
- IT: I can't believe he swore on the Bible!
R: Well, if that judge had looked any closer, he'd have seen that it was a copy of Moby Dick. (Fried Green Tomatoes - Jami) - I wish I could say something classy and inspirational, but that just wouldn't be our style. [pause] Pain heals. Chicks dig scars. Glory... lasts forever. (The Replacements - Jon)
- Father Brian: I keep thinking about what you said in seminary, that the life of a priest is hard and if you can see yourself being happy doing anything else you should do that.
Father Havel: That was my recruitment pitch, which is not bad when you're starting out because it makes you feel like a marine. The truth is you can never tell yourself there is only one thing you could be. If you are a priest or if you marry a woman it's the same challenge. You cannot make a real commitment unless you accept that it's a choice that you keep making again and again and again. (Keeping the Faith - Alistair)
Posted by criminal at 11:46 AM | Comments (2)
Early Bird
I've been at work before 9am for three days in a row now. 8am Tuesday, 8:30am yesterday, and 8:45am today. And tomorrow is the birthday breakfast where all co-workers with February birthdays join the CEO for breakfast at 8. This is a huge achievement for me since I usually struggle to make it here before 10. I've been going directly to the bathroom for a quick shower instead of heading downstairs to have breakfast and watch the news before the shower. It is really saving me a lot of time and helping me get out of the house faster, even if I feel less informed about the news and weather. The commute has been fabulous, although that can be attributed to school vacation week. The office is really quiet before 9, so I feel like I can get on top of things before people start bombarding me with emergency requests. And I've been able to leave earlier, which is a bit of a novelty. I'm going to try to keep this up next week, but it will probably require an even earlier wake-up time to balance out the traffic.
Posted by criminal at 11:11 AM | Comments (0)
February 14, 2008
Like Hallmark, But Better
So I've set up shop for Valentine's Day with a small selection of cards at my desk. So far I've sold eleven cards and have another eleven left. The response has been really good, especially for the cutesy cards. All of it makes me curious about the kinds of Valentines people choose. So tell me, what kinds of Valentines do you send? Cute? Sentimental? Funny? Frilly? Angsty?
Posted by criminal at 3:07 PM | Comments (0)
Valentine's Day On Ice
Moments after making a mental note to be careful of the ice, I went down on the sidewalk in front of our house. I thought warming up my car before collecting all of my things inside was a great idea, so I hustled out in my work-appropriate loafers, cautiously avoiding the ice on the walkways out to the car. It was on the way back to the house that I stepped on a large, crystal clear sheet of ice covering half of the walkway and went sprawling.
Isn't it funny how time seems to stand still the moment you realize you're going to crash into something? I knew instantly that I had misjudged the ground and was going to get an up close and personal introduction, but it took an eternity to actually get there. My knee took the brunt of the fall, as usual, but the ice was so slippery that my knee slid, rolling me over and mashing the side of my knee, thigh, hip, wrist, and shoulder. I was able to pick myself up and make it inside before the shock wore off and the pain kicked in.
I'm at work now because there are meetings, contracts, and audits that just can't wait. My knee started to turn colors and swell up from the get go, but I iced it on the ride to work with a bag full of snow and swallowed a few Excedrin to take the edge off. Now the knee is just pink and moderately swollen, albeit a extremely stiff and sore. The other dings and dents are making themselves known slowly. And I'm sure that my back will be in full protest by tomorrow morning. I'm still mobile and I don't think I've done any permanent damage, so it's not all bad.
edited to add: The knee looks much better. It's less swollen and considerably less painful.
Posted by criminal at 11:07 AM | Comments (1)
February 12, 2008
Shorter
I got a hair cut yesterday. Being bold, I asked the girl to make it a little shorter than she did the last time (mistake #1). I hoped to get something closer to the original cut, but now I have something significantly shorter. I didn't see the back of the cut at the salon, but I figured it looked pretty much like it did before (mistake #2). I'm having trouble describing just what she did, but I really don't like the way it looks or feels. It looks OK when it's blown out and then tucked behind my ears, but it doesn't look good straight. And we don't even want to talk about how miserable it is without any styling.The more I think about it, the more upset I am, so I'm just going to do my best to ignore it. And maybe will it to grow faster.
Posted by criminal at 10:25 AM | Comments (1)
February 8, 2008
Under the Weather
I called in sick yesterday because of a lovely cold that seemed to suck the life right out of me on Tuesday and Wednesday. So I stayed at home resting, medicating, and drinking plenty of fluids in the hope that I would feel better today. And it worked.
For all of an hour.
I felt refreshed and uncongested when I woke up. I actually wanted to go to work, if only to leave myself less behind for next week. But by the time I got out of the shower I realized that I was breathing more easily because my sinuses were holding everything back. But I persevered, found clothes that didn't come out of the massive pile of laundry, cleaned off my car, and made it to work. Now I'm dealing with a massive sinus headache, a sore throat, and a bunch of phone calls to make. This is so not the way I pictured my productive Friday.
Posted by criminal at 10:38 AM | Comments (0)
February 4, 2008
From Bad to Worse
Just when I thought things were turning a corner at work and I might be able to hang in there long enough to get back to the job I enjoy, we got a whopper. The expectations for our support team just went from burdensome to impossible. I mentioned last week that I'm not really a part of the general support pool anymore, but I'm still subject to many of the same policies and procedures. And I'm still being asked to help out with some of the most complex and simple tasks, like troubleshooting bad ads or updating contact information. Now the simple things won't be so simple, or anything remotely considered quick. It makes my head hurt just thinking about it. We won't even talk about how I wanted to leave 25 minutes ago but can't even come close to wrapping up for the night. I'm ready to throw in the towel.
Posted by criminal at 5:24 PM | Comments (0)