swimming in the blog jar
a weblog

4:30 PM + A new entry is posted for your enjoyment!

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1:52 PM + Stupid geocities. They are discontinuing the free FTP service in April. So I have to find a new home for my page. Anybody know of any other free sites that are as good as Geocities? (Before they went all...jerky on me...) *sadness; irate*

I'm sorry I haven't been posting much lately. I've been busy... in life, and more so at work than usual. Plus, I've only felt like writing things while I'm at home at night. I feel ready to write then. Not rushed, like when I'm at work.

I hope everyone is doing well; I'll post my Friday Five later this afternoon.

Miss you! (Oh, and tada! Here's a picture of my new niece!):

Isn't she a cutie? Born 5 lbs, 14oz., 19 3/4 inches long, on February 6, 2002. My first niece/nephew! Wahoo!

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Friday, February 22, 2002

3:13 PM + I posted a new entry this afternoon. Have a great weekend!

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2:45 PM + "Denial is not a river in Africa." --SARK. Ha ha!

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11:51 AM + The Friday Five (please note link on left; give credit where credit is due!)

1. Hey, baby, what's your sign? Do you think it fits you pretty well? Gemini. I'm doing some research on what the general "Gemini" consensus is and here's a dappling: Geminians can become deeply involved emotionally, and another, hostile to sentimentality, which stands back from a romantic situation, laughing at it and the protagonists in it, including themselves while analyzing it intellectually. Gemini subjects take nothing seriously. So, in love, in spite of their temporary depth of feeling, for the intensity of involvement lasts only while it is new, they are superficial, light-hearted, cool, flirtatious and unimaginative in the understanding of the pain they may give others. (taken from here. So as you might guess, half and half. Naturally, I don't think I'm all those negative things they think I am. AND, I want to keep in mind that I was supposed to be born one month and three days BEFORE I was actually born, which is a whole other astrological thing.

2. What's the worst birthday gift you've ever received? I'd like to replace this with Christmas gifts. Well, no. And yes. See, my father always gave me just birthday cards. And once, if you've seen my book, he replaced my desire for a pink Huffy bicycle (like the one he got his girlfriend's daughter) with an old rusty purple thing that didn't even work right. Well, one Christmas, he got me a five subject notebook and a slinky.

3. What's the best birthday gift you've ever received? That is SOO easy. My boyfriend (darling darling Jon) got me horseback riding lessons. It was completely unexpected and so PERFECT.

4. What's the best way you've celebrated your birthday thus far? I'm really not sure. I remember the first time I had a birthday party, when I was 13. I'm sure I did when I was younger than that, but I don't remember much of it. I think it's the lack of family photographs. But Jon is great on birthdays. He makes me a cake, gets me balloons, candles...the works.

5. What are your plans for this weekend? Tonight, Jon and I are going to Aladdin's (I think. With Jon you can never tell if he's serious or not; he's the teasing sort). Tomorrow night is a birthday party, and Sunday Jon is leaving for Vermont for a whole week. I may have a little girl get-together for the Postcard Fairies.

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11:18 AM + Sad.

The videotape delivered to the U.S. consulate in Karachi left no doubt that Pearl was indeed killed, according to the source. The videotape showed Pearl speaking with someone, almost as if he were conducting an interview, when suddenly an unseen assailant grabbed him and slit his throat, the source said. The videotape included no date, no audio and no faces other than Pearl's, the source said.

Pearl's wife, Mariane, who is pregnant with their first child, had remained in Karachi issuing several public pleas with kidnappers to release her husband unharmed.

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Thursday, February 21, 2002

1:42 PM + You know, if somebody I now in real life finds this here site and says, "hey! I think I know this person!" they really do know it's me, because I normally post here (quizzes and such) what I've posted there. Lately, I've posted more there than here (the blog; not the journal), and sometimes wish that all my readers here can see it and enjoy it.

I was planning on simply posting it, but I've changed my mind. There are still peole on my notify list who have never left comments, signed the guestbook, or written back to me, and that bothers me and freaks me out. I don't think I think it's rude. But I moved my site completely because people I knew were harrassing me about my site. I left to avoid those people. AND, these people are sneaky enough to make up a new email address and then join my notify list to say "you think you don't know me." It bothers me that I have to even worry about this at all--but it's even worse because I know these sneaky, rotten people in real life!

So, if you don't mind, readers--when you join my notify list, please write to me and tell me who you are? I really want to know. Perhaps in the future I'll simply write back to whoever I don't recognize and say, "hey! what's up?" That way I won't have to whine about not knowing.

Planning is essential friends. Essential.

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Wednesday, February 20, 2002

2:46 PM + I've loved Winona Ryder since the days of yore. The only movie I've seen in which I did not enjoy her role was Boys. It was pretty darned dumb, if you ask me. But I only watched it once--five years ago or something. I have much I'll add to a journal entry later on today. I have some great sites to share as well that I've visited.

Which Winona Are You?

I think, readers, that this is pretty gosh-darned accurate, don't you? Hugs to all of you! (I stole this quiz from Startled Frog's site.)

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Tuesday, February 19, 2002

4:45 PM + Hi, Friends! I'm writing to tell you five things about me, cause you come here for a reason! (And this way, I can speed along the production of my own Friend Test that was floating around like crazy a few weeks ago.)

1. Today, something strange is happening to my speech pattern. I think I'm self-conscious of opening my mouth because I keep saying "Linder" instead of "Linda."

2. I like wearing baggy clothes and only wear clothes that look nice because I am indeed worried about their opinion (eek).

3. I lack the motivation to write even though I feel good that someone is actually willing to pay me to do it.

4. I never went to kindergarten.

5. My mom says I learned to read by watching Sesame Street.

Have a great night, guys! I'm having friends over to eat my black bean soup and just "chill."

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11:57 AM + I found this test on Meike's site. It's pretty great considering that green is my favorite color! (The size and color of this damn table bugs me; I messed with it a lot already and can't help it: the color boxes are tables and it's more trouble than anything. Either way: I'm green! I like green!)

Green You are a very calm and contemplative person. Others are drawn to your peaceful, nurturing nature. Find out your color at Stvlive.com!

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Monday, February 18, 2002

3:28 PM + I DID IT! I signed up for yoga classes! Thank you, SARK, and thank you friends and thank you me for making me do it because this was--absolutely--one of those "I really want to do this but dont' have the motivation right now to call up, pay money; and besides, it costs such and such and I don't know if I can spend that and what if I find out in a week that I needed it, and the classes are a week away and they're probably full and--" blah blah blah. So SCREW THAT. I did it! I'm so proud of myself at this moment. Yay me!

I just can't tell you how incredibly happy it makes me to know that I did something I truly wanted to do. I had plenty of reasons why I shouldn't, centering around money. I want to save money to take a plane to Florida to see my new baby niece; Jon would criticize me for spending my money on something (anything--doesn't really matter); I have to do grocery shopping; I'm going to be hard-pressed to do things with my friends; I'll probably need to borrow a freakin' dollar from Jon when he wants to go out and get coffee...but you know what? I don't care. Yoga has long lasting effects that will make me feel better about being me. I'm doing something for me, by myself, and to me: that's the best thing I've got going. So yay me!

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Friday, February 15, 2002

4:41 PM + I hope you all have a good weekend. Maybe next week won't be as hectic as this week has been. I haven't been able to read any journals or blogs, not to mention maintain my own. I am going to post a quick little cute story though before I leave work today and then go home and enjoy my weekend.

Be safe, well and smiley, friends!

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11:50 AM + 1. What was the first thing you ever cooked? Aside from toast? Probably Cream of Wheat. I'm not really sure. I remember learning how to make perfect grilled cheese sandwiches in high school (I was known as the NO-COOK cooker; I hated it). Nowadays, however, I'm fantastic.

2. What's your signature dish? I make fantastic stir fry and yummy desserts.

3. Ever had a cooking disaster? (tasted like crap, didn't work, etc.) Describe. I do recall actually crying once when I made something horrible, but it was so disastrous, I've blocked it out. However, refer to the above grilled cheese experiment. At home, we used blocks of cheddar cheese and I loaded slices of it on the bread. The pan was soaked; the two pathetic pieces of bread were just swimming in this pool of cheddar cheese. After it cooled, my brother ate it--sogginess and all.

4. If skill and money were no object, what would make for your dream meal? Will I never get full? I'd make my great corn on the cob rolled in feta cheese and cayenne pepper with lime; salad salad salad (I love salad); Grecca Pasta from Aladdin's Natural Eatery; and I'm sure something else that's tantalizing.

5. What are you doing this weekend? Tonight, I'm going to a friend's house for a party (a friend of Matt's that has become mine over time). Matt and his fiancee will be there. Jon and I, I think, will watch a lot of movies. I'd like to get my hair cut and perhaps treat myself to a pair of shoes.

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9:17 AM + Boy, do I have a funny story to share with you. It's not comical-funny, but it's ironic.

In my office, I'm one of the few that knows HTML, but of this few, I'm probably the one who knows it second to the best, who is the supervisor of office production, and so has few time to mess around with it.

About one month ago, I was assigned to design a web page based on a client's recently published brochure advertising a math class of some sort. Without my knowledge, however, they gave the job to somebody else after my supervisor apparently said that I would have no time to do work outside editorial work (she claimed I would be very busy). We all know how far from the truth that is. After all, I complain just about daily about the lack of work in my job.

Nobody told me I wasn't doing the page anymore, but then again, nobody was giving me the information I wold need to make the page. Finally, at a status report meeting in which we discuss all the jobs, the big boss asked how far along the designer and the coder were in the page. Only he didn't use my name in there at all, but somebody else's, who doesn't know code by hand--only through templates. (Which she can't make.)

Now I like this woman very much, but she called me into her office almost every day for help which gave me a bit of a chuckle; her too since she had gotten in a fight with the big boss over me when she insisted I know more and should have some control (Go!).

Well, yesterday I was busy the entire day when the designer went to my supervisor and said "Listen. She knows how to do this; we need it done. Can she do it?" My supervisor said yes and now it's finished.

Isn't that funny to you too, somehow?

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