bubbles

Okay, I'm supposed to be studying. Well, rather, I WAS studying, at Caribou even, but now, I'm blogging.

First, you know you've had too much caffeine when it seems as though the whole world is moving in fast-forward. I just want it all to slow down! Warp speed....ahhh....why won't everything stop spinning! I almost won a Cities 97 Sampler CD, but then TMobile decided I'd been listening to the phone ring for too long. Stupid TMobile. Yet another reason I can't wait to cancel service.

Okay. So, I was at Caribou. Calmly (in caffeinated warp-speed) studying without any interruption or distraction from people around me (who tend to have loud conversations that I can't help listening to...but today they all spoke non-english, so that helped), UNTIL two kids who must be in college sat down a table away from me. First, the guy is LOUD. Like, obnoxiously loud. First comment (in super loud, i must think i'm at a rock concert, voice), "I can't ever let my red-neck friends know I went to a Caribou". Oh super, think I, this must be a first date. And possibly it was....I'm not sure...it was awkward comforableness? Odd. Either way, the guy launches into a recap of his first semester at college..."i played football and made some friends, not my best friends, but you know, it was hard going to a school where I didn't know anyone, but then i figured out who i was, blah, blah, blah"....I look over at the girl and she's extremely interested...in her coffee cup. So then he launches into how it was weird that they prayed at the beginning of every football practice and class and how they have chapel and how they get great speakers because thought they aren't the best academic school....they just really get great speakers. OH-kay. I'm tolerating it okay at this point because his volume inflection goes in and out....so i'm not having to listen to every word he's saying. Then, however, comes the comment that, combined with my extreme caffeinated state, sends me running for my car: "Yeah, it's a bubble, but I like being in a bubble." AHHHHHH. Complete acceptance of the fact that you're living in your own little world without regard to the fact that someday you'll have to rejoin society? Short-sighted.

Perhaps it was the caffeine that wouldn't allow me to continue to cram my brain full of Supply Chain principles before barfing out my difficulty with this kid's statement...but there you have it. Protective bubbles are great if it's a safe environment preparing you to be who you're going to be and equiping you to live in a world that isn't so nice....but enjoying a safe bubble with the sole reason being to enjoy the safe bubble....AUGH.

Okay, I'm pretty sure I'm going to come back and need to revamp this post after the caffeine-high wears off, but those are the thoughts of the moment. Seriously, I think i should never again order a medium size light roast....i should just stick to my typical small. Time to STUDY!

pulling out my hair

my system is moving amazing slow. like, i'm not sure it's possible for it to go any slower. As of 2:07pm, i've been waiting 28 minutes for it to process my work request.

The dilema - i have more work to do, but I can't complete it until this processes. I can't just leave this to process because it doesn't stick if I don't save it. So, i'm stuck sitting here at my desk, staring at a computer that doesn't SEEM to be doing anything.

I just want to go take my nap.

mumblings of men

Had an interesting conversation today with the woman who sits next to me at work. She commented that men typically concentrate more on the tone of what they're saying than on the words they are using. As an example, she told the story of a neighbor's son to whom she is a sort of aunt. My co-worker was walking down the hallway of the school and said hello to this student. The student's friend asked if he was rich...as he was telling to the story to my coworker, she asked why his friend would wonder such a thing. This neighbor's son/student replied that it was because of my coworker's "snooty little walk". !! Her point was that if a woman made such a comment, my coworker would be in an uproar, but for this student/guy, it was just the words he came up with to communicate that she walks confidently...and as he had no malicious intent in his tone, it came off as very nonchalant. Interesting, eh?

After thinking about it for awhile, I think agree, though. It's rare that guys are catty and mean on purpose...it's usually just a slip of verbage/wordage. Do we think it's a good thing? Should women work on this...i mean obviously the catty/bitchy/mean thing should go away....but is what we say really all about tone, or do we have a responsibility to word choice even if we've gotten to a point where it really IS all about tone? My co-worker commented that the interesting thing about this lack of thought behind word choice for men is that it's a nice suprise when a man is able to effectively communicate through words and not just tone.

Does this all just come under the catagory of "men and women are different"?

Happy Thanksgiving! Best out of office I've seen yet?
"I love Turkey. For this reason, I am out of the office. Please contact with all Channels emergencies. Thanks!"
Love!

DUI's

I was watching the saturday morning news on Kare 11 yesterday and they were talking about this news story they would be featuring during their Extra segment on the 10 o'clock news Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday. Apparently, the Ramsey County sherriff granted the news station complete access to first time DUI arrests. The Extra segment on Monday through Wednesday shows people taking the field sobriety test, blowing in the breathalizer, being arrested, and then their night in jail. The pieces they showed yesterday morning were really intense. The guy shown claimed to only have had two beers and passed the field test with no problem but then blew above the legal limit. They cuffed him.

So, tune in. It looks to be extremely interesting. They newscaster said that the interesting area were the people who couldn't do the field test to save their life and then blew under the legal limit...and the people who looked and acted stone-cold-sober but were twice the limit. I'm hoping to remember to record it.

(side note on the privacy issue that i first wondered about: apparently, because these individuals are being arrested on a public street, it's public information. And then, once in jail, you are not considered to have the right to privacy. Kare 11 said that there were some people who were extremely upset to be included in the segment and others who were very accomodating...I guess one guy even let them follow him around for the next several weeks as the effects of a DUI are more reaching than the initial arrest.)

What I saw yesterday (not even the full segment) reinforced my safety precautions to drive safe. Wow.

grocery shopping!

I just got back from grocery shopping. How much do I love grocery shopping? TONS! Especially with the self-checkout. Pretty much, I hated grocery shopping before those things were installed. Yeah, they pretty much make the experience amazing. Amazing.

Okay, i'm feeling a little cooky and crazy tonight. I think it's a good thing. :o)

But so, grocery shopping. That's the topic. Many memories with grocery shopping. We always used to go with our Mom and ride in the cart. Now that I think back, I'm not really sure how she actually shopped with all of us kids in the cart, but heck, it must have worked.

First memory: trying to understand the prices. Couldn't for the LIFE of me figure out how you knew if it was pennies or dollars (i think this was at the time they still used those cute little white stickers with the dollar sign and the cent sign....yeah, i'm old school). And even then, YES, even THEN - my little mind was acrobating throught the economics of pricing - why don't they price it lower I wondered....wouldn't they make more money because more people would buy it? But then again, less money, so there must be some type of balance between what the right price is and what the right number of people buying it is (yes, it appears, now that i think back, that i was destined to be a HUGE dork) (of course, it wasn't until i was probably in middle school that i figured out the whole "it's a quarter to" thing....i never understood how people understood what hour it was a quarter too!). Okay. Sorry.

Other memories. I semi-dated this guy the beginning of my sophomore year of college. I say semi-dated because we went out to food once, and then went grocery shopping all of the other "dates"....which isn't necessarly a bad thing if it was only like twice....but no, this was at least half a dozen times and only over the course of two months. AND, it was mainly to get these frosted sugar cookies that Rainbow sells....which he never shared with me! Obviously this relationship was doomed from the start, but still. Odd, don't you think (had one of those particular cookies a while after that whole fiasco...learned they actually taste quite gross...and might be filled with laxitives).

Ohhh, favorite? Using the quarry rainbow as my own personal vending machine. 4am on a wednesday and a few residents and I need some skittles or licorice? Off to rainbow! Those were some seriously fun times. AH. So good. :o)

Okay. There are probably more, but i need to finish my dishes and enjoying Frank Sinatra.
Question - what's up with this option for an updated blogger format? Any info to give me before i sign up??
yay :o)
-R

Drugs, Sex, and Rock & Roll

Okay, so that's not really my topic for the day, it was just fun to say. I've actually had several topics I've wanted to post, but they're all pretty involved and I haven't wanted to dedicate the time. So, seeing as I have an all day conference to attend tomorrow (that starts at 7am), but to which none of my co-workers are going, i figured this was the night.

First, MN to WI drivers and WI to MN drivers. There are some key rules of the road that might be good to know (so that I don't continue to tailgate you):
1. The left lane is for passing. If you are not going faster than the cars in the right lane, you should be over there with them - in the right lane. NEVER be in the left lane going the same speed as the right lane.
2. If you notice that you are indeed going faster than the people in the right lane but that someone (perhaps in a white honda) is gaining on you, move to the right lane so she can pass you. Please feel free to move back into the left lane once said driver has continued past you.
3. If you suddenly find that the person in front of you in the right lane has slowed much more than you find to be agreeable, by all means move into the left lane to pass said person. However, immediately after passing said slower car (or group of slower cars), move back into the right lane where you can continue on your much slower than the left lane pace.
4. Don't drive with your turn signal flashing when you have no intention of changing lanes.
5. Try to maintain a consisten speed (there are new fangled things called cruise control that can help with this) so that you're not slowing down your white honda friend and then turning around and tailgating this same friend a few minutes later.
6. Bottom line - don't annoy me.

Let's see, another topic. Voting. I hope you voted today. Just today I came up with an idea that I think is pretty dang good. Somehow we should enact a law that says if at least (i gave the example of 80%) of eligible voters don't get out to vote, then the results are declared invalid. Or, perhaps we should make it illegal to NOT vote. So much effort has gone into getting everyone the right to vote, that I think it's just ridiculous when people push it aside (for whatever reasons). And side note, don't ever let lack of information be your reason for not voting. We have this thing called the internet. Do some reasearch.

Semi-related to the above paragraph: I'm super annoyed by all the bias. Where in the world can one find UN-biased information in today's day and age? There might be the assumption that a city newspaper might provide some insight, but with the obvious slant in both major Mpls papers, I'm not going there for my info. Yeah, I tend to be more one party/side of the line than another, but that doesn't mean I want to be fed propaganda. I want clear information and no spin. Any ideas?

Other news....not sure. My house is still in progress. Election party tonight was great - yay watching the returns! I went to Madison last weekend and had so much fun - saw so many college friends, some middle school connections, mpls connections, it was great. Made me want to move there....the church we went to was super great too. Mmmm. Madison. :o)

Well, it's late, I'll post again soon. I'm always suprised/smiley when i find out people actually read this!
Oh, and go/poor bears.
love!
-R