Bathroom Etiquette

Now often times public restrooms are dirty and gross. This is mostly do to people hurrying, not caring about those to follow, and lack of janitorial work. At a professional establishment one would expect that people would have a little more respect for one another. But no, everytime I use the bathroom, the first stall I enter is unusable. People don't flush, don't use the trash, leave paper on the seat, etc. I know this isn't due to lack of janitorial staff or janitorial staff not doing their jobs. I see them on a daily basis and often actually in the bathroom. Today I went to 3 stalls all of which were unusable and finally found mysefl using the fourth. I know you are saying that I could clean up after others, but then I wouldn't have time to do my actual job because people are so gross! Now seriously your boss and people you spend hours in meetings with must share this room. It just really really irritates me that people are so disrespectful to take an extra 5 min to make sure they don't leave a mess for others.

Talk about bad usability

Somehow I managed to screw up making online reservations for New Year's weekend. I managed to book my return flight 1 day after I had intended. I didn't even notice this until beccacat told me after looking at the itinerary I emailed her. oops. So now I'll have to work from her home on Tuesday January 2nd. I guess there are worse things than an extra day with beccacat and her 3 kitties.

On the Radio

On the way home from Tahoe, we were listening to my iPod (hooked up to the car system of course) and one of my friends suggested we listen to Green Day. That was greeted by a bunch of groans from the rest of us. Ahlwoon said that everytime you turn on the radio you hear "Wake Me Up When September Ends". Sure enough, today when I turned on the car after work the song was playing. I promptly changed the station because I was sick of the song back in September. Now it's December. I'm ready for new songs. I guess I should've just used the iPod.

Weekend Warriors

This past weekend was quite busy, but lots of fun. Friday night, I sat in the last row to watch the Detroit Pistons defeat the Golden State Warriors. It was a close game, but Detroit won! Then after spending the night in Oakland (well not all of the night), we left at 4am to drive to Lake Tahoe. We then skiied (some people boarded) all day. It was so beautiful. I made CWP$ take lots of pictures since my camera is terrible (I still took some). We tried to stay together as a big group for much of the day mixing skill levels, but I think all had fun despite some soreness. At the end of the day a few of us ventured down a run that had a warning "Experts only...You may Die". This scared a few of us, but we all managed to make it down the steep and icy slope in one piece. After everyone showered and we watched endless food commercials, we finally went out to eat. We definitely got our money's worth at the all you can eat salad bar. We drank champagne, had home brewed beer, watched Harry Potter, and all passed out quite early. Not exactly what you'd call a wild night, but it's to be expected after an early wake-up call and a long day of skiing. Sunday we went to a different mountain and hit the slopes in smaller groups. I third-wheeled it with DJ and CWP$. They were good companions and we covered a lot of ground pretty quickly. We then drove back to the Bay, but had a hard time finding a place to eat along the way. By the time we got back to Oakland I was almost too tired to drive, but I had to get home so I could go to work today. And a long day it was!

If the Shoe Fits

In preparation for renting skis for this weekend's trip to Lake Tahoe, I dug out my ski boots from the storage closet. I put my foot in them just to be sure, but apparently they don't fit. I managed to bring my old ski boots with me instead of my ski boots that actually fit my feet at their current size. So now I'll be renting boots as well as skis. I'm glad I tried them on now at least before I actually had the bindings set to boots of the wrong size. I guess it shows how recently I've been skiing with my own equipment. I know where my boots are at my parents' house too. I saw them in the basement. For some reason I thought these still fit too or mixed up the two pairs. Next time I go home or when my family comes in a few weeks, I'll have them bring me the right boots. I guess it gives me some incentive to go skiing again this winter!

Irrational Concerns

It has been about a week since I picked my kitty up from the vet from being boarded for the Thanksgiving holiday. When I went to pick him up, this fear set in and I worried: "What if they give me the wrong cat? What if they gave my cat to someone else?" In the waiting room it took them quite a long time to go and get my cat. And I mean over 10 min. I started to panic. What if he wasn't there anymore and they gave him to someone else? They actually couldn't find record of whether or not he had been bathed during his stay, and that was an extra charge. They also couldn't find my cage which in fact I didn't leave with them. So, they gave me what looked like my cat. I was still skeptical, but he behaved like himself in the car trip home and after a few hours in my condo he was enjoying his favorite hiding places. I told my mom about my worries and she laughed at me. She said, "How many giant flame point himalayans are there?" Let alone being boarded at the same vet during the same time period. But I still had to verify his special markings and habits. I can now proudly affirm that I have the same cat now as when I first brought him to the vet prior to Thanksgiving.

Mishap with a Pen

So I should not be allowed to wear white shirts. In fact, I should not be allowed to own white shirts or any light colored clothing. Today at some point I dropped my open pen and it made some sort of swirly design on my shirt. One of my co-workers thought it was an actual design on my shirt. I was actually just wearing a plain white button-down shirt. I looked down and noticed the pen marks. I was quite embarassed. Good thing I know this co-worker on a social basis too so it wasn't too bad. I also was wearing a blazer today so I could button that up and cover the stain. Let's hope those stain removers I have really work.

Wrong Side of the Bed

I have always slept on one side of the bed and not in the middle despite having a quite large bed. I think it must have something to do with the way the pillows end up being arranged or a need to be able to reach the nightstand easily. I recently decided that the side of the bed on which I don't sleep is quite neglected. My side is nice and worn in while the other side is practically new and unused. So, I decided to start sleeping on the other side of the bed. It has been very strange. I wake up confused and don't really know what is going on. My dreams have also been more vivid. We'll see how long this phase lasts. I still seem to like the old side better, so I may switch back soon.

Business Travel

Bussiness travel is great! Especially when it brings my friends to the Bay Area. It's even better when i can dine with visiting friends on their corporate account. Shhh, don't tell. We did dine at a budget friendly restaurant. It was great to see my lovely friend RT and had a nice dinner. I have not yet experienced the joys of business travel, but I'm hoping to go to Montreal for CHI and to our New England office in New Hampshire. The New England office is only an hour from Boston, so hopefully if I ever get out there I can see my East Coast Friends. I'm glad I'm not traveling soon though because I'm still recovering from my recent trip home. I will likely be sleeping all weekend.

My New Love

Over the break I got a new cell phone because my contract expired. It's a cameraphone, and I am in love. I find myself always wanting to take pictures, but I never remember to charge my camera or take it with me. Plus, it's somewhat bulky. So I never have a camera when the opportune moment arises. Now my life has changed with my new cameraphone. Get ready for more many more photos taken by yours truly!

Internet Woes

For some reason my wireless isn't working tonight, so I'm upstairs in the guest room with the cord. This room is pretty messy too, so I feel like I should be cleaning it, but I'm too tired to do that tonight. I would also like to be watching Monday Night Football on a larger tv! At least the sofa bed is quite comfortable and the cord is working.

It's a good pizza wine

My family ate takeout pizza for dinner tonight. My Dad went through his wines and selected one in particular and began to tell us about it. My brother was making fun of him because we were just having pizza. And then my Dad proceeded to explain how the Zinfandel he chose was a good pizza wine. Only my family has wine with every meal, including pizza.

Happy Thanksgiving

For what are you thankful? (I know it sounds a little bit funny how I phrased the sentence, but there's nothing worse than a dangling preposition.)

Why I don't miss Michigan

Tonight I had been planning on going up to Ann Arbor to visit my beloved friend Srah. I have missed the weekly gathering at her home for a long time, and apete informed me that it was happening tonight. Unfortunately, the snow fall prevented me from going to her home. I was actually considering going despite my better judgement, but I am driving my grandmother's car, it is night, and it is a far drive. I guess a quiet evening at home never hurt anybody.

The Pimp Mobile

Since I've been home in Michigan I've been driving around my grandmother's car. It's a big honkin' cadillac. I can barely maneuver it around the streets! But I'm sure it attracts the attention of the 80-year-old men. Why do old people like to drive boats on wheels?

Hairspray

I've taken over Noor's apartment. I must say, she's been an excellent hostess. I only have a few complaints about my experience staying in her home. First of all, she has too much school work leaving not enough time for her to hang out with me! She also has curly hair. Not that I dislike her hair or curly hair in general. I, however, have straight hair (or at least like to wear it straight). All of her hair products are for curly hair and she doesn't have a blow dryer (as far as I know). That renders her hair products useless and me unable to blow dry my hair. I guess I'll just have to stay indoors until it dries because it is super cold outside ( I think...I haven't been out yet today).

Back on Campus

I'm back in Ann Arbor for the first time since moving away. It's a very strange feeling! I think it's just a big slap in the face reminding me that this phase of my life is over. I've moved on and I like my life in the Bay Area, but I also miss certain things in Ann Arbor. But, everything is different here. Many of my friends are gone, my apartment is occupied by other people, and my friends still here live in different places. I was a lil' sad walking to the game, thinking that I missed gameday Saturdays. But as the game went on I realized that I didn't miss the cold. This post is kinda depressing, I think it's cause we lost the game. Losing to Ohio State at home is just not cool. The first home loss I've seen in over 2 years. At least they didn't lose a single home game while I was a student. My bro's last game as a student (unless he goes to law school here) was a loss to Ohio State. That totally sucks. Now I have an evening with old friends to look forward to, so my early arrival for the holiday will be worthwhile!

Where is my Winter Wardrobe?

I've been packing and trying to figure out what to take home with me for Thanksgiving. I have never traveled from a warm climate to a colder one. Many times in my life I've gone from a colder climate to a warmer one. It has been very difficult figuring out which sweaters and scarves and boots I may want when I'm home. Especially when I'm wearing a tshirt and sandals. No, it's not that HOT here, but it's a very mild climate. My suitcase is crammed with various items and hopefully I won't freeze when I go home.

Bills Bills Bills

It seems like the incoming stream of bills never ends. I have not yet fallen into the world of automatic bill pay. For some reason I like to actually touch my bills and write the checks. I think it's because I have this need to monitor my spending closely since my expenses have dramatically increased in recent months. I know my life would be easier if I had one less chore, but I can't seem to let go. And now since I'm leaving town tomorrow night till next month I have to pay them all. Maybe the one part of my life that has not yet entered the digital realm of modern technology will in the months to come.

The Wonders of Science

Mytery solved, but someone should tell my body that it's one year older not fifty years older!

Want a Quesadilla?

On Friday night we were walking to dinner from our parked car and a woman asked us if we wanted a quesadilla. She was holding out a dinner plate from a restaurant that had a piece of a quesadilla left and a bunch of sour cream. She seemed quite offended that we didn't want her leftovers. The Thai restaurant had good food and terrible service. The weirdest part of the meal was my trip to the restroom. I opened the door and seemed to have walked in on some woman into what looked like a single user rest room. It had a door with a lock, a toilet in the room, and a sink. There was also a stall. Why was there just a toilet sitting in the room when there was a stall? Is this a San Francisco thing? It was quite bizarre.

Happy World Usability Day!

May all your interfaces be usable. Well...not too usable, I still need a job!

Not quite the workout I had planned

After a long day of work I got to the gym. I had been thinking about which machines I wanted to use and what exercises I wanted to do. I moved my car closer so I wouldn't have to walk too far in the dark, got a key for a locker, and went to the locker room. I opened my locker and started unpacking my gym bag. I took off my shoes (no this is not a dirty description of me changing in the locker room). I then went back to my gym bag and realized that I did not have gym shoes with me. The black boots with 2 inch heels that I'd been wearing all day certainly wouldn't work so well on the treadmill. So after all that, I put everything back in my gym bag and left the locker room. I went to the front desk and returned the key. This was quite embarassing seeing as only five minutes had passed since I had gotten the key in the first place.

Champagne Super Nova

Despite having to work today, it was a fairly good Birthday. My co-workers gave me a mini apple pie with a cute candle. Noor devoted an entire blog entre to me. There was a potluck at work, so I just milled around and ate for several hours. Said potluck also had champagne, wine, and beer. I got lots of emails, cards, and phone calls from my friends. And I got a huge bouquet of flowers from my parents deliverd to me at work.

Is it my Birthday yet?

This is the first time I've ever been in a different time zone for my Birthday. Back east it has been midnight for over an hour. In fact my bro gave me a Birthday call at midnight there since for him it was my Birthday. It was somewhat odd for me since it was only 9pm here. Then I got 2 e-cards at around 10pm. Still not technically my Birthday.

Google, you used to be so dependable

So, the gold standard, widely loved, search engine has been giving me grief the past few days. The algorithm that provides high quality results and split second performance are what has made it so good! I certainly have not gotten split second performance in a while. This has forced me to leave google and use competitor's search engines as of late. I have no patience to wait for my search results when it takes many seconds. I want my search results immediately. I would go down the street and knock on your door and tell your data center operators to get cracking, but I'm not up for making such a scene. And, quite frankly, Yahoo has been doing a fine job for my search needs this week. Google, I know you have expanded your offerings to include lots of products, but you cannot abandon your core business.

Fashion Frustrations

I've been trying to finalize the last pieces of my Halloween costume, but have been having a difficult time. I went to the mall, Old Navy, Target, and several other stores in search of the top to wear with the rest of the costume. I was even on the verge of going to the dreaded Wal-Mart to find something. But of course, thanks to fashion, the shirt that I sought was very difficult to find. I merely wanted a red tank top, a red and white striped tank top/shirt, or a black and white striped tank top/shirt. I even looked in childrens clothing and intimate aparel (they sometimes have camisoles). Apparently stripes are out of style. I understand that it's not the season for tank tops. But it is California. People who live where I live do not need winter boots and big puffy jackets and other furry items. But apparently those are also in style and dominating the racks. Thank you fashion for causing such difficulty in completing my costume.

What's that stench?

There's a reason why they invented deoderant and perfume and cologne and baby powder and laundry detergent and washing machines...TO PREVENT YOU FROM STINKING! Now, I understand that sweating and BO are perfectly natural phenomena and we all emit an odor at one point or another. But there are precautions to take and things to do so that we do not make life unbearable for those around us. This should hold true for everyone in all environments, think negative externalities and 502 (ahhhh). Yes, I was thinking about 502 while on the elliptical trainer today at the gym. Well, that and how not to pass out from the fumes the guy next to me was emitting. It was so bad that the woman on his other side started making a face. We made eye contact and made gestures toward our noses to acknowledge how smelly this man was. A few minutes later after another whiff we gave each other disgusted looks again. So I know it's perfectly unreasonable to expect someone not to sweat at the gym and not to have some sort of odor. But this was so pungent that it was unbearable. He wasn't even that sweaty at this point seeing as he was just beginning his workout (or perhaps switching machines). The only real explanation would be that he had worn the same workout clothes for multiple days without washing them, not showering, no deoderant, or all of the above. Now, when clothes are so sweaty and smelly as to emit an odor...it is time not to wear them again until they have been washed. Showers are good for all those around you as is deoderant. And if you know you sweat a lot and smell bad...perhaps spray a slight amount of body spray or cologne/perfume to cover up some stench.

Absent Minded

I've been very forgetful lately and somewhat absent minded. Today I left my purse in the cafeteria. I didn't even know I left it there until I received a phone call. Some man asked me if I was missing something important. I looked down and noticed my badge so I assumed it was my purse. I checked in the place where I usually keep it, and sure enough, it wasn't there. The other day, someone asked me how old I'm going to be on my Birthday. I told him the wrong age. How did I forget my own age? I told him a year older than I'll actually be.

Bad Marketing

My new contacts came the other day and with them was a sample of a new type of lens by Acuvue. So I thought okay, that's cool. I then proceeded to check the prescription on said sample lenses. And guess what? They were some useless prescription. So here the contact company is with my exact prescription (I ordered a bunch of boxes of a different type of Acuvue lens) and they send me some samples that are totally useless. If they were my actual prescription there would be a chance of me trying these lenses out. I see no point in trying on some lenses that don't correct my vision for 2 seconds and then taking them out. I also think these new lenses are special because of their comfort factor after wearing them for a long time. Well there is absolutely no chance that I would wear contacts in the wrong prescription for an extended period of time. I would like to see! If I'm going to put something in my eye, I'd like it to serve a purpose. Other than raising my awareness of this new type of lens, giving me a sample of lenses served no purpose. Good job Acuvue. I heard about your contacts on the commercials. I don't need these samples too. You could've just given me a flyer about the new type of lenses. It would've been just as useful.

People are Crazy

Last night on the news I heard that a woman my age threw her three children into the bay. Obviously anyone who would do such a terrible thing is completely insane, but what also struck me was that someone my age already had children ages 1, 3, and 6. Those poor children. I was so sad when the news came on that I had to turn off the tv.

Smog Check

This strange state in which I now live requires a smog test in order to register a car. So, I finally got around to that process the other day and went to an auto repair shop to get that done. I found a place that AAA approved (I heard that sometimes they scam you) and that was near work and the DMV. Although I find the whole idea of a smog test a scam! Well my car passed of course seeing as it is relatively new and was made according to whatever the emissions standards are. Today I received a thank you for your patronage letter in the mail. I don't think I have received one of those in years if ever. Not right after a transaction. It seemed so old fashioned, albeit the note was a standard type-written one. And I didn't even want this service done to my car! When I need service I'm not planning to go back there. So much for wasted paper and postage. At least it's nice to get snail mail sometimes that isn't massive pages of coupons and ads I don't want.

Children of the Corn

When I think of California crops and produce, corn is not the first thing that comes to mind. It's not the second either. Nonetheless, I went to a farm yesterday that had a big corn maize. The maze was much like the corn maze I went to in Michigan except that it was much more crowded and haunted. Yes, haunted. There were people dressed in scary costumes who jumped out of the darkness at unexpected moments and scream or howl. There were zombies, devils, jasons, warewolves, monsters, gorillas, and a chicken. The chicken was funny, because we ran into him in a lit area. We made fun of the chicken, well because he was a chicken in a haunted maze. Not the scariest of all creatures to say the least. So to get us back he came from behind a while later and startled a few of the group members in the back. I found the scarecrow particularly scary. He was a guy standing on a cross with his arms outstretched across the horizontal piece. He was perfectly still, so upon arrival at his location we were questioning whether or not he was real. He certainly looked real, so I went pretty close to him and said: "yup, he's definitely real". He immediately jumped off the cross and screamed. I jumped so high it was ridiculous. After that, I made my way to the middle of the group.

Gestalt in the Real World

I went to the eye doctor and at one point she said that she wanted to use the Gestalt with the letters. It makes sense that an eye doctor would know principles of visual perception and cognition. I just have not heard the term used outside of HCI professionals, psychology course, and the halls of SI.

Free Electricity?

I just got a check in the mail from DTE for $166.00. I don't know how I could have possibly overpaid that much. Not that I'm complaining, but I lived in the place for 2 years. My monthly bill was about $20.00. You can do the math and see why I'm confused. Certainly DTE does not give its customers electricity for free. Unless I'm so bad at managing my finances that I overpaid by that much.

Damn Yankees

I went to the gym today for the first time in a long time. I wanted to watch the Monday Night football game while working out, but of course all the people were watching the baseball game. So thanks to the Yankees game I was forced to workout with no football action for a while. After that game ended I was able to finish my workout while watching the football game. And since the Yankees lost, I wasn't so bitter!

How to become my best friend

I had a few people over on Friday night. Yes...the first real get together at my condo. There will hopefully be more to come once I finish with all the renovations. I took my parents' old TV to put in my living room and connected to my DVD player. I didn't find the remote so I got a universal remote. I hadn't figured out how to get it to work and had tried many times. My buddy CWP$ fiddled with it for a bit and got it working. So if you want to be my best friend, fix my stuff. I'll settle for a visit from those of you not currently in the Bay Area.

That's not free?

I got a letter in the mail from my credit card company that offered me a $15.00 check to try some special fraud protection for a month and then pay $7.99 a month for this service. Ok, so I am under the impression that fraud protection and security should be included as part of the whole credit card thing. I mean it is linked to lots of information about me, my whole credit history that affects lots of important grownup things in life, my social security number, etc. Not to mention people can buy lots of stuff. I just find it ridiculous that they want me to pay extra to protect my personal information better.

Feel the Force

I went to services tonight at a temple recommended by co-workers. The service was very nice, but for the first 10 min I couldn't quite pay attention. I was trying to place the Rabbi's voice. At first I thought he sounded like a muppet. Then it came to me. He sounded exactly like Yoda. He didn't speak with the same sentence structure as he was following the prayer book for the service. He did have the same accent, pronunciation, and pace with his language. The other Rabbi was from Australia. Her accent was beautiful and soothing. For the first time ever, I could've listened to a sermon for hours. I was tired though, so it's a good thing it was only about 15 min.

Ingles Por Favor

Do I look hispanic? I went to this little market on my way home from work because I happened to be at the dry cleaners next door and the grocery store was out of my way from there. I picked up a few small items and the cashier spoke to me in only Spanish. I understood her and everything, but I didn't say a word in English or Spanish. Perhaps she doesn't speak English, but it was a very interesting encounter. I wonder if I went to the little Chinese market down the street if the cashier would speak to me in Chinese.

Intercom Fun

My dad just used the intercom to contact the cat. I'm not so sure that's an effective method for getting the cat to come out from under the bed. Plus the intercom makes a loud beeping noise that scares the cat.

My Room is Not My Room

I'm sitting in my bedroom at my parents' house and it deosn't feel like my room anymore. All of my stuff that I left here when I went off to college and grad school is now gone. Well, that's not entirely true. Some stuff I didn't want to take with me. So it is a practically empty closet, bookshelves with my Mom's books, and the reject stuff that I didn't want enough to actually take to California. The emptiness and lack of personality in here adds to my sadness. Home just doesn't feel like home anymore.

Rain Rain Go Away

Today it rained for the first time since I've been here. (It rained for 5 min once in June). So that's 3 months with no real rainfall. It has been very strange for me after living in a much different climate for my entire life (Boston wether was pretty much the same as Michigan weather). I traveled, but never for more than a month, and there was actual rain during that time. I don't recall rain in Spain (hahaha insert chorus here), but I do think it did at some point. Of course, since I've been painting and needed to clear out the living room, a bunch of my stuff was out on the patio. Now all of my DVDs and videos, a fake tree, and other assorted items are all wet. On the positive side, my actual plants actually got watered for the first time in a while. With all my stuff outside I hadn't been watering the plants because I didn't want my stuff to get wet. I guess that precaution didn't really help much.

You've Got Mail

For the first time since I started my new job, I didn't check my email until 7:30 PM (PST). It was quite daunting to come home to 80 messages on my work account alone. My other personal accounts also hadn't been checked all day. Talk about information overload. Good thing most of my co-workers were also downtown at the same conference or else I would've had way more email. Despite spending the day looking at software and interfaces on various computer screens, I didn't actually interact with one myself till quite late in the day.

Hail to the Chief

When I arrived at work the other day, there were tons of limosines and cops in front of the entrance. All the security guards were gathered there as well. I had no idea what was going on. There were security guard people on the elevator with me. They were giving me strange looks. Rumor had it that the reason for all the security guards and cops was that the President of Romania was there.

Beer Bash

When I had an internship in Spain, the soda machine sold cans of beer. I thought this was very funny. As a 19-year-old I was enjoying the fact that I could legally drink. I bought a can of beer from the machine for 60 cents (or some amount of pesetas) on my last day of work.

Today we had a beer bash at work. In one of the conference rooms a bunch of co-workers gathered with all kinds of good international beers (mostly German, Belgian, and Indian) and drank together. It wasn't quite as exciting as when I had beer at work in Spain, but it was fun nonetheless. Too bad it isn't Friday!

Painting Party

Thanks to my good buddies Dave and CWP$ I have some new friends here in the Bay Area. They are super awesome and devoted their Saturday afternoon to helping me paint. We had a large area to cover, and all the walls were textured so it took a while. We managed to get the first coat on the walls. Although the "subtle neutral" of a beige shade is only slightly darker and different than the previous yellowy neutral, I could notice the difference. Plus, the old paint was scuffed up from some of the work I had done. I'll appreciate the new paint more when I put the room back together. Painting the area over the stairs and the hallway next to the stairs was quite difficult. I need to paint that ceiling too. I have no idea how this will be accomplished...

Attack of the Blue Tape

I've spent the evening covering my place in blue painter tape so that I can have some people over to help me paint my place tomorrow. I already used a whole role and I still have a lot of taping left to do. I'll probably finish in the morning before people arrive. Hopefully I won't need to buy a third role tomorrow. I removed much of the furniture (that is everything I can move myself). I'm not doing any really exciting colors. Just subtle neutrals. The existing neutrals are a bit scuffed and too yellow for my furniture/rugs. I'm a little concerned the ceiling color I bought is too yellow too! It'll definitely work upstairs, but not downstairs. The problem with going to Home Depot after a full day of work and a team BBQ and arriving around closing time. I miss my mommy and all of her advice about home improvement. I guess if the color is bad I can repaint. I think I'll save the downstairs ceiling for last...

Back to School

For the first time in my life I am not going back to school. In fact I am not a student. It still hasn't quite sunk in that I am not currently doing an internship. My job will continue indefinitely. Friends, family members, and co-worker's children are all going back to school, while I continue to go to work. It's a very strange feeling!

Can You Hear Me Now?

I woke up very early this morning for a conference call with people in Germany. I used my home phone and called into the conference call at 7am to be told that there was too much static since I joined and no one could hear anything. I tried my other cordless phone on the same line...no improvement. So, I set off to use my trusty cell phone. This time there was no static and things were going well. That is, until my call was dropped. I called back again. This time I was able to stay in the call for only ten minutes till my call was dropped yet again. At this point the meeting was wrapping up, so I decided not to call back. Damn you Verizon for getting my very early day off to a not so good start!

hexavalent chromium is slowly killing me

I just wrote my check to pay my gas & electric bill to Pacific Gas & Electric, otherwise known as PG&E. The first time I ever heard of this company was in the movie Erin Brokovich. The company was illegally dumping hexavalent chromium into the water supply and poisoning the people in various towns in California. Now that company provides my water and I have these fears that my water is contaminated. I choose not to think about this on most days because then I'd probably be labeled as a paranoid freak. But, everytime I pay the bill and see the envelope in my mailbox with the PG&E logo, I am reminded of this movie and the sickly people.

I'm a Californian

My California driver's license came the other day, so byebye to the Michigan one. The past couple months were fun with my Michigan license with the hole-punched in it and a paper temporary California one. I started carrying my passport so I could get into bars and clubs. Everytime I look in my wallet I get confused because I have never not had a Michigan license (well after turning 16 of course). And the picture is terrible. My hair is going in all sorts of directions. I guess I have to wait till 2009 or 2010 to get a better one.

Lost in Space

Well it would be fun to be lost in space, but unfortunately I spent over an hour yesterday lost in parking structures. One of my co-workers and I decided to go to the gym at work. It's in a different building and we only had a limited amount of time so we decided to drive to the gym. We parked the car and scurried off to the gym. When we were done working out, we headed back to the parking structure absent-mindedly and recalled parking on the 2nd or 3rd floor. We arrived on the second floor and didn't see my car so we proceeded to walk around to the third floor. My car wasn't there either. So I pulled out the key chain and start pushing the emergency alarm button and don't hear anything. We continue walking because the car has to be here. We keep walking in circles, and mind you this is a big parking structure. We wonder if perhaps we've missed it or what happened. By the time we reach daylight at the top of the structure we begin to think the car might be in a different structure.

We go down the stairs and cross the street to the other parking structure. Mind you, all Oracle parking structures look the same. We get there and go to the second floor and walk around pushing the alarm button. We keep walking and are not seeing my car. Eventually we make it to the fourth floor we keep saying that the car has to be in this structure. We've established the fact that we didn't cross the street to go to the gym so it is the correct one. Instead of walking around and around this huge parking structure we spot a guy getting into his car and ask him if he'd mind driving us around because we forgot where the car is and can't find it. He says okay and we get in. He's wearing an MIT shirt so I ask him what year he was since I went there. He says that he has friends that went there so is just wearing a shirt. He must've been wondering how someone capable of losing her car could've possibly gone there. Anyways, he drives us slowly up the structure and by the time we make it to the top we still haven't seen my car. We then proceed to go back down and there's my car on the second floor. I then push the emergency button and hear no noise. Apparently my alarm doesn't work so that wouldn't have helped anyway.

What an adventure and boy did we feel dumb. My co-worker made me promise not to tell anyone about this event. I didn't tell anyone at work.

Bad Influence

This weekend has been jam-packed with activities since Noor is here. Yesterday we went to the Golden Gate Bridge and the fog was so dense that we couldn't even see the bridge. We decided that we should at least drive over it. We got to toward the end and it was bright and sunny so we could see some of the bridge. We got out of the car and did some observing and walked on part of the bridge. It was so windy. I thought I'd blow away. After that we were going to go back to the city, but managed to miss the turnoff to go south. As we were driving we were all trying to figure out what to do and how to turn around. I subtly mentioned that we were near wine country. This peaked Noor's interest so she pulled out my California ap to figure out how far exactly it was. After driving for a bit we decided to just go for it and drive there. We arrived pretty late after a lot of the wineries were closed, but we managed to find one that was still open. They were getting ready to closed, but the woman offered us a free taste. And yes, my friend who does not drink had some wine. Thanks to me taking her to wine country and telling her that she should do it since it's wine country. I'm such a bad influence on my friends!

Even Exchange?

Today the plumber was here to finally install the downstairs toilet. He did that and then removed the dishwasher in the kitchen. The dishwasher was broken, so he took it away. So in essence I traded a dishwasher for a toilet.

Vegas Baby

I'm in Vegas right now livin' it up with my buddy from undergrad. Partyin' till 4am, sleeping in, shopping, and layin' out by the pool all day! I'm not thrilled about returning to reality and going to work tomorrow, but at least I have one more night to have fun. We're going to see Cirque De Soleil tonight at the MGM Grand. I've only gambled for a total of $1 on the slot machines at Ceasar's.

My friend was attending a conference for network security. Last night, being the last night of the party we went to the conference parties. I felt like I was back at MIT again hangin' out at East Campus or Senior Haus. Lots of nerds and bizarre outfits. My friend and I arrived at this party around 1am and were all dolled up after going to a club at the Belagio. We were way over dressed, but there were some girls there dressed to go out too. Although it was mostly guys (although few normal ones and relatively no cute ones). This one guy took a flashlight and shined it at our breasts and looked in closely. I was like "have you ever seen a human being before or been in the world?" You don't do that. Anyway he persisted. Our feet were hurting so we took our shoes off and dipped our feet in the pool. Then one guy decided to throw a full liquor bottle to the ground and broken glass shattered everywhere. Not a good combination with our barefeet. He got kicked out. The moral of this story is don't mix nerds and massive quantities of alcohol in one place. The rest of the evening was filled with drunken nerds who kept asking to take our picture.

Guys are so not subtle

I was at the super market today and these policemen were checking me out (I think one of the guys was trying to get this other guy to talk to me). And they were commenting on the fact that I was wearing a Red Sox shirt. I ran into them a few times as I walked through the store, but they didn't actually approach me. Why is it that guys are so bad at these things to the point where it is obvious exactly what they are talking about. While I must admit that I am not exactly very subtle, thanks to my very loud voice. As a girl, I am quite capable of communicating with my female friends without actually speaking. We seemed to have mastered the ability to communicate using our facial expressions, eye movements, and hand gestures.

On another note of a guy being totally not subtle. When I was visiting Noor over the weekend we went to the hot tub. There were some other neighbors there hanging out. One of them was this creepy guy with a big gut and long hair. Anyways all of a sudden I notice him put his swim trunks on the side of the hot tub. He thought he was being all sneaky and had this strange grin on his face. His friends didn't realize this for a long time. I got out of the hot tub and chilled on a lounge chair for a bit because Noor was in the pool. From all the way at the pool, she heard one of his friends ask him if he was commando. Eeek. What a traumatic spa/pool experience. Maybe I'm glad I don't have one (ok no I'm not, I just need to find a friend who has one around here).

Surfin Safari

Well I'm back from LA and visiting Noor. She's living in Surf City and when we went to the pier there were even people out surfing at night. I finally saw ocean since I've been living on the west coast. It's sad it has taken me so long. I always knew that Southern California and Northern California were totally different, but it was much more apparent having lived up here for a bit.

My New Kitchen Appliance

Today, the contractor was over with his electrician to do some stuff with light fixtures, bathroom fans, and the washer/dryer hookup. In order to install the bathroom fan, they needed to move the toilet (that was already not installed because of the floor removal process) into the kitchen. And there it is sitting in my kitchen. The funniest thing all day was when the contractor asked his nephew (who also helps do construction type work): "Eddie, get me the tape measure that's sitting on the toilet in the kitchen". I couldn't help but laugh cause it sounded so silly.

Spelling Bee

I woke up bright and early on a Saturday morning to go to the California DMV to get my new driver's license (they are open one saturday a month). I waited in a long line, and then realized I forgot my checkbook so I had to go find a nearby ATM to get cash to pay for the license. When I returned the line was much shorter, and since I made an appointment online they gave me a special number. I hadn't even finished filling out the form by the time they called my number. I completed the form while she entered my information into the computer. I then went over to the other line to get my picture taken and to get the test. While waiting I realized that my name was spelled wrong on the form. Well it was just missing a letter. This was a first...normally I get my first name mispelled as "Carl". This time the last letter, the "G", was missing from my last name. I had to go back and she said she fixed it. So I went through the line and got fingerprinted and got the test. The test was way longer than the Michigan one and way harder too. I was nervous that I didn't pass. That would've been way embarassing. So after completing the test I had to wait in the line again to get the test corrected. The wait seemed like forever since I was unsure of a few of my answers. Fortunately I only got one wrong, so I passed! And the only one I got wrong was a dumb question that made no sense. The problem was really the fact that my name was still spelled wrong. I had to go to someone else to get that fixed.

May I please speak to your parents?

Everytime I receive a solicitation or a phone call from some unknown party, the first words out of their mouths are: "May I please speak to your parents?" And I'm like, "No you may not." I am the only one who lives here. In fact I am the only one who owns this house (well aside from the bank that has the mortgage). So it's very frustrating that not only do I appear young because of my stature I sound young. I want to smack the person on the other end of the phone.

Are you ready for some football?

I certainly am ready for football. While I was totally into fantasy baseball last season, I frankly don't give a hoot this year. Perhaps it was due to playing against my ex boyfriend and having an intense desire to beat him. And beat him I did! I beat him in both our head to head matchups in fantasy football too. I made the playoffs and he didn't. I'm just a jock now aren't I. No I'm just good at using the Internet and watching tv! But my friends decided to start a fantasy football league and since fantasy football is far less time consuming (usually limited to sundays) and I like football more, I should be more into it. Although, I'm not sure if I'm ready for Monday night football at 6pm and Sunday night football at 5pm. I may still be at work when Monday night football starts like I was today when the baseball All-Star game began.

You're How Old?

Last night I went to a bar, which was fun because I haven't gone out much since I've gotten to California. Despite the mess in my condo, I guess it's good to start pretending to be a normal person. Maybe I'll even go to the gym this week. Well the bar reminded me of why I don't miss Michigan (no smoking in bars). Although they had that in Boston the last year I was there too. We wandered around, drank over priced beer, and did some dancing. The highlight of the night would have to be when two guys approached us and started talking to us. After chatting for a few minutes the guy asked me how old I was and I told him. He said he just graduated high school and was 18. I didn't know what to do at that point, but my friend went to dance with her guy although I told her their age. This 18-year-old kept wanting to grab me, and I felt so dirty. After a few minutes we made our escape!

Snap Crackle Pop

I'm sitting here blogging outdoors from my balcony. The joys of wireless Internet. It is lovely out here since Rebecca and I planted some flowers. It will be really nice living here once I am able to just sit and chill instead of feeling like I should be organizing my stuff. All in all it was a nice holiday weekend. Watched fireworks last night at Stanford and saw some tonight while I was sitting on my balcony. The joys of celebrating freedom by shooting gun powder into the sky. I still here some fireworks in the distance, but can't see anything.

A well-deserved break

I have been working extremely hard to get settled into my new place. It has been quite a task and seems neverending. My stuff is all here (including the car), but where to put it is a different story. Right now I have no floors on the main level because they were removed and the new ones couldn't be installed because the sub-floor is not level. Just my luck, the contractor is in Alaska. It has been over a week with no floors. I have been working hard upstairs despite the disaster that is the downstairs. There is also no kitchen sink and no counter tops in the kitchen because I am awaiting new granite counters. The cabinets are all empty with their contents scattered about the living room (the living room that has no floors). Anyways, Rebecca came to visit for the long weekend leaving me an excuse to escape the clutter and house work and actually enjoy my new surroundings. Yesterday (after living out here for 3 weeks) I finally ventured to the city. It was a lot of fun. Today we are going to see some fireworks at Stanford. Once tomorrow night hits, I'll go back to the reality that is work and home improvement. Now it's time to finish enjoying my weekend and my new neighborhood.

we have a hostage situation

I arrived in California seventeen days ago, and my car left me nineteen days ago. Yet, for some reason, I still don't have it. I received a phone call this morning saying that it arrived in Livermore, CA (that's less than an hour drive from my condo). I won't get it until Wednesday morning. So my car is just sitting there hostage only an hour from me. But back to the point, it does not take nineteen days to get from Michigan to California. Give me my car!!!

Still Alive

It's been a week since I flew out to California with my mother and cat in tow. Everything went relatively smoothly although the cat kept wanting to get out of his carrier. We had to stop at a pet store on the way from the airport to the condo so that we could get supplies for him. We were greeted by the realters who had flowers and some food for us (they even had cat treats). We got the kitty settled and set off to Target for air mattresses so we could have a place to sleep until my stuff arrived. It's now a week later and my stuff is still not here and won't be here till Monday. My Mom's air mattress got a leak and she woke up in the middle of the night surrounded by deflated air mattresses. Needless to say, we are anxiously awaiting real beds! The stuff is already one day late. In the mean time we have been painting, building furniture, installing hardware, putting up draperies, and purchasing lots of other stuff. We've been very busy and I'm still getting used to the three hour time difference with most of my family and friends. Once I have more free time I'll share more about my new life in California.

Pretty Pretty Princess

The movers came bright and early this morning to pack up all my earthly possessions and load them in the truck. There was a whirlwind of action around me as boxes, tape, tissue paper, and other packing materials arrived in my apartment. Then the four movers started making boxes and putting stuff in them. I asked if I could help but they just said "no, you're moving". So I sat on my sofa and watched them put all of my belongings in boxes and then take them down the stairs to load the truck. I had unplugged all my equipment so really all I had to do was to just sit there and watch them. (Mind you, this was for many hours). Then we relocated to my parents' house where there were more rooms. This time there were only two guys and they were complaining that the company didn't send enough people to help. They decided to start in my bedroom. Here I was sitting comfortably on my queen-sized bed while they were sweating, loading boxes, and complaining about needing more help. I felt like such a princess. Eventually another guy came to help them, but they still packed and moved stuff for about five hours while I sat there, made dinner, and just told them what to take. Despite feeling like a spoiled princess, having professional packers and movers made everything speedier than I could possibly imagine! Now that I've been spoiled I don't think I can ever go back to packing and moving myself again.

Close your eyes and tap your heels together three times

And think to yourself, there's no place like home. Well it's official, I am now a homeowner in California. I've been busy tying up my loose ends around here so my apartment in Ann Arbor hasn't felt very homelike in a while. In one week I'll be living in a home that's all mine without pesky undergrads to drive me crazy!

New Zip Code

Today I was registering for a new website and it prompted me for a zip code. Seeing as I will be at my current zip code for exactly one more week and I'll be at my parents' (my hometown) zip code for another three days, I decided to just enter my new California zip code. This was quite a strange experience because I am not living there yet, but am doing as much as I can to tie up my loose ends here. I am not going to change my other profiles until I actually move, but I figured that for a new one it made little sense to put Ann Arbor.

The Machine in the Garden

As I was enjoying the sunny day yesterday and going on a walk in the Nichols Arboretum, I was struck by a bright red fire hydrant in the middle of a grassy area. There I was, surrounded by trees and nature (and a few other people) and this fire hydrant totally took away from the beauty of the natural environment. I understand the need to stop a fire in such a place that is full of trees, but perhaps it could be placed in a more discreet location or even painted a different color (I don't know all the fire safety rules but I have seen non-red fire hydrants). So as I walking I couldn't stop thinking about this fire hydrant and it made me think of discussions from my architecture class and how advances in technology have affected the landscape. I can't say that I was devoid of modern technology myself, listening to my ipod as I walked along the trail. At least that is contained on my person and not a permanent fixture that stands isolated and painfully obvious.

Culinary Combinations

For my mom's birthday my family had planned to go to dinner at a Lebanese restaurant that now occupies a building that previously housed one of our favorite Italian restaurants. Lebanese food is delicious, but what I found bizarre was that the sign advertised lebanese cuisine, cocktails, and sushi. Sushi? As we pulled into the parking lot I turned to my brother a little bit fearful. When we entered, there was a restaurant on one side and a sushi bar on the other side. Now I'm not exactly an expert, but I am pretty sure that Lebanese food is from Lebanon and is of the Middle-Eastern variety and sushi is Japanese. Well, the restaurant was actually having a huge wedding party and wanted to put us in the bar for our reservation. Rather than just sit in the bar and be ignored by this much larger party that was a priority, we went to a gourmet Indian restaurant that was delicious. They are actually adding some indo-chinese entrees. That is another combination, but is more common as I have heard my Indian friends discuss the delicious Chinese food they ate in India. Also, my favorite local Indian restaurant has Chinese entrees. I haven't heard any stories of Lebanese people making sushi or my Middle-Eastern friends going to sushi bars in the Middle-East (adapted with their own spices).

I've Been Deceived

I read a sign posted at the Sushi place I go to on S. University and it said that they offered discounts to AAA members. I thought it was for members of the Automobile Association of America. I am a member and wanted to get discounted sushi. But alas, it was some dumb student group at the University and my sushi was full price.

Everything is Lost

In my hurrying to get off of a 5 hour plane ride, i was dumb enough to neglect to take my computer. Yes, my beloved powerbook is gone. I am holding back the tears as I am typing on my Dad's computer. Of course it's late at night so there is no one at the airport or airline to contact so I have to wait a billion hours till it re-opens. Of course in my infinite wisdom my little case for the computer has no identification or information about me and where I live. Unless some benevolent person or a flight attendant found it and turns it on, they will not know it belongs to me. But then they would have to sift through the files to find my address (Like that would actually happen).

Interview Numero Dos

This is my interview from Noor
1. What is your favorite movie and why?
There are so many good movies that I have a difficult time picking just one. I really like Sliding Doors because it poses a "what if" scenario. Like how much different life would be if she had caught the train or if she hadn't. I always wonder about that. There are so many things that happen in our lives that had something else happened things could have been entirely different. It's an interesting concept.
2. Do you look up to anyone? If so, why?
I don't know if there's anyone in particular I look up to and don't want to be cheesy and just say the parents. I guess it would be my maternal Grandpa. He's 85 and loves to swim and act like a little kid. I want to be as active and fun loving when I'm his age. Oh and he likes to go online too and use the computer.
3. Which of your many accomplishments are you most proud of? Why?
I guess I'm most proud of getting a job since it's the most recent, but I had been very fearful of the prospect for a long time. I worked hard for my whole life to get to that point. So it's the culmination of a lot of accomplishments (doing well in high school, on standardized tests, going to a prestigious university for undergrad, finding the field of HCI and getting my master's degree, overcoming anxieties to be able to have successful interviews, etc.)
4. Describe your ideal vacation.
My ideal vacation would be somewhere that is on the ocean and in a warm climate. Somewhere that has beautiful wildlife and delicious food. I would stay at a nice place that isn't too crowded with someone I like to be with. This fantasy place would also have some culture too and sites to see so I don't just sit around. But sitting on the beach is nice too. I'd also like to be able to do some other more exciting activities like hiking or snorkling.
5. What was the last book you read? Was it any good?
I am embarassed to say that I haven't done much pleasure reading due to the fact that I've been attending graduate school. I started books on breaks, but never finished them. I would like to get to reading again soon. So the last book I read was Design of Everyday Things, which is a fantastic HCI book. I can't remember the last fiction book I read, but I'm cleaning out the apartment and found Middlesex which I read last summer. It was very interesting especially being from the Detroit area and working in Greektown last summer. It was a very good book.

Interview Time

I'm being interviewed by Srah:

1. What do you like best about yourself? (Feel free to make a long, train of thought list)
I like my determination and motivation to succeed (although sometimes I wish that I could just settle for defeat). This is a difficult question!
2. I see you as the kind of person who can do anything she sets her mind to! Has there ever been anything you just couldn't do?
Yes, when I came to Michigan I desperately wanted to be the quarterback for the football team, but I just didn't have a strong enough throwing arm so I couldn't do it. It was awful. Ok, so seriously I wanted to run the mile in high school in under 8 min and never could. I guess I'm just not an athelete!
3. When did you realize you wanted to do HCI? Have your feelings about HCI changed at all over the past 2 years?
I realized I wanted to do HCI when I got to SI and realized that to do tailored would require too much paperwork and would be too ambiguous of a degree. And IEMP required me to take 540 or a placement exam so it was just easier to fulfill the requirements plus no IEMP classes fit into my schedule my first term at SI. During my time at the school I eventually figured out that I actually was interested in HCI and usability. Probably during 622 and while I was taking an IEMP class I didn't really like. Over the last summer I also figured out what I wanted to do with my degree and it seemed that I liked HCI and it was a neat thing. I've always liked technology and computers (yes I'm a nerd), but I like the social aspects and people side of things not the programming technical stuff.
4. What's the most disgusting thing you've ever eaten?
This is a difficult question too because I've eaten lots of bizarre things in my lifetime so things I haven't found disgusting would probably be disgusting to others. I think the most disgusting thing I've ever eaten was an apple that had a worm in it and I realized this after eating it for a while. It was gross!
5. What do you find most attractive in a man?
Finally an easy question since I know what I find most attractive in men. I love a man with nice eyes. I also find a buff and built chest incredibly attractive. A good personality also goes a long way too :-).

---------------

This is a meme, so if you're interested in being interviewed by me, here are the rules:

1. Leave me a comment saying "interview me."
2. I will respond by asking you five questions here. They will be different questions than the ones above.
3. You will update YOUR blog with the answers to the questions.
4. You will include this explanation and an offer to interview someone else in the same post.
5. When others comment asking to be interviewed, you will ask them five questions

The End Has No End

Well, thanks to the help of some wonderful friends and extensions, I managed to finish graduate school and actually graduate! It still hasn't sunk in that graduation actually happened. I'm ready to leave these past two years behind me, but at the same time terrified of what is to come. But that is life. The past two years have been full of highs and lows, ups and downs, the best of times and the worst of times.

My time at SI and U of M has consisted of: many new friends, the loss of some old ones, lots of group projects, countless acronyms, tons of information, a keen eye for the many interfaces in my life, a failed relationship, college football and hockey, 2 Rose Bowls and 2 Big Ten Championships, a love for 2sday nights, happy hours, sangria, too much time in front of a computer, a re-enactment of prom, a trip to DC, networking in the physical and virtual world, a great appreciation of libraries, a dislike for undergrads, lots of writing, BBQs, whining about certain profs, foundations courses, a love for Greektown, the end of SATC, the watching of the entire series of Buffy, a lack of parking everywhere, quality time with the family, the discovery of books on tape, an attempt at a book club, the creation of this blog, dating 2 boys with the same name, lemon hoods, flag football finals at the Oosterbahn, IM soccer championship, IM broomball undefeated regular season, SOCHI, weekly dinners with the bro, renewal of my love for Super Mario Bros (original Nintendo), life with my beautiful kitty, Back to Back Super Bowl victories for New England, the Red Sox finally winning the World Series, the Pistons winning the NBA championship, and a season without hockey, several of my friends tying the knot, a road trip to Boston, a summer spent in downtown Detroit, four fireworks displays, camping, some fun Halloween costumes, a trip to MSU for a Umich football and hockey game (both victories for the Wolverines), SI email always being down, me purchasing a Mac, snow at the end of April, 2 trips to LA and Palm Springs, 3 trips to California in 1 month, Spring Break in February, Pearl Jam concert in Grand Rapids, limits to my printing quota, a totaled car, and much more that I can't remember at the moment.

Life is Short

...

I'm co-dependent

In the past few weeks my Internet at home has been extremely unreliable. Last night, when I was actually trying to be a motivated, good student, my Internet was not up to snuff. Although I printed mounds of paper to assist in my work, I still need to access the web system about which I am writing. I am always amazed at how useless I am when I cannot access the Internet. And Comcast, let me just tell you that this is not a very good time for you to be giving me poor service. I need to finish school!

Expanding my Horizons

So in an effort to procrastinate my paper that won't seem to miraculously write itself, I've branched out and made a new mark on the world of the Internet. I created a Yahoo 360 blog or portal page. So since I blogged there, I thought it was only fair that I add an entry to my actual blog since I've been neglecting it for a little while. I just haven't had anything interesting to say recently. But sir Andy complained...so this entry is dedicated to you!

I'm the BIG sister

Today for my class project I went to my brother's place of work to interview him and his co-workers. When told that I was his sister they were all like oh that's your little sister. And of course he says no, she's my older sister! Perhaps when I'm 40 I'll appreciate this, but now as a 23-year-old in a room full of underclassmen I was annoyed. My brother is a Junior in college so if I were younger than him that would mean that I hadn't graduate from college yet, let alone was less than a month away from obtaining an advanced degree. Maybe it's just due to my height in that, when someone says older sibling they think larger. I was guilty of referring to him as "my little brother" all the time, so much so that people pictured a little 7-year-old child and not a college kid who is taller than me (by many inches). Until I'm old and wrinkled and appreciate the thinking of me as younger than I am (by at least 3 years) I will be annoyed. Perhaps when I go there tomorrow I will dress all professional so they see me as a mature soon-to-be professional. Ok, so who am I kidding, I'll be wearing jeans and a sweater as usual, but it was a good idea.

Miss Information

Well, I went to prom last night with a bunch of people whose real proms occured anywhere between 6 and 20 years ago. I was unsure of how this event would turn out seeing as it was a formal full of information scientists and was taking place at a University venue. This prom was much more fun than my real prom. We went to 2 pre-parties and Denny's afterwards. Plus, we were all legally able to drink and there were no chaperones. Moreover, Britney Spears is no longer popular so we didn't have to suffer through that music. Attire was also not really mandated, so we didn't look like clones with big puffy gowns and up-dos with rhinestones or flowers. The only downside was that my shoes were not that comfortable. I will have to buy new shoes for the next formal event I attend. No one get married soon...I can't afford new shoes right now. I'm still recovering from my new computer purchase.

At our post-prom breakfast (Denny's at 2am) we were discussing the previous SI proms that occurred before our time. Apparently they had their own version of a Prom Queen (Miss Information). I nominate Srah as this year's Miss Information for her non-stop dancing action and liveliness at the prom. Plus she looked damn sexy!

My New Interface

This is the first blog from my brand new laptop. I've gotten myself a little 12" powerbook, so I've converted to a Mac user. Never fear, I will most likely be getting a Windows-based desktop for my apartment next year. In the meantime I've gone to the other side and I'm enjoying it. Well it wll be better once I have all my stuff on it!

A Muslim and a Jew went to an Easter brunch

Today being Easter and all, I went to an Easter brunch equipped with some yummy Jewish food. I was accompanied by my Muslim friend, Noor, and Tracey. Someone even brought lox so I didn't feel too out of place. Good thing it was just a bunch of people eating or I would've been totally confused. Then they pulled out the egg decorating kit and Noor and I were totally confused. Everyone else knew what to do with it and was already envisioning their eggs. We were just watching in amazement as they added vinegar and water to these little colored tablets in cups. Then everyone started dipping their eggs into the colored liquid using metal holders and would wipe the dripping egg with a paper towel. I got a chance to decorate an egg, but I kept thinking how different my life would have been had we had this tradition in the springtime. For me eggs have always been nothing more than food. I'm glad I had a companion who was a foreigner to these strange, yet typical American customs.

Just Plain Fugly

So in the spirit of high school proms, the upcoming SI prom, and ugly dresses everywhere, Olga, Srah and I went to Briarwood mall. We visited the anchor stores and went into fitting rooms together armed with dresses. Some were sexy; some were poufy; some were sparkly, and some were Just Plain Fugly! We took a few pictures but didn't manage to capture the totally hideous ones on film. Olga did purchase a beautiful dress that reminded me of a dress that was lost in my suitcase. Damn you Northwest for losing my luggage permanently...I could've been wearing it this coming Friday night. But alas, I will settle for a lesser dress in my own closet that I packed in a different suitcase when moving to Michigan from Boston that Northwest did not lose.

March Madness

Well they call the NCAA tournament March Madness, but I think the real madness is all the snow and the fact that it was so cold today. It's now officially Spring, but it certainly does not feel like Spring. I'm ready for warmth!

The Grass is Greener...

I was at lunch today asking the waiter to change the channel when some drunken boys asked if I wanted to watch soap operas. Umm...no actually I wanted to watch the NCAA tournament. Apparently they had been drinking since 7am and had no idea about this major sporting event. Others found it funny that I was a super cool chica who knew about sports and these boys were acting all cool yet I turned it around on them. But seriously I thought it was a football Saturday with the amount of drunken people this morning. I had always been under the impression that people celebrated St. Patrick's Day in the evening. What do I know? I've become so far removed from the life of an undergrad even though it has been less than two years.

Ice Capades

I've taken up a new sport...broomball. It is really quite a dumb idea to run around on ice wearing sneakers and use little sticks to get a ball in a net. The sticks have no leverage and as you can imagine, staying upright is quite difficult. Helmets are required, but due to my small head, the helmet just flops around so that I cannot see. So, here's me running around on a slippery surface without the ability to see. At least I was smart enough to wear knee and elbow pads this week.

Pursuit of the Trivial

Last night I played trivial pursuit in a match of boys vs. girls. Yes, the girls won of course thanks to our wonderful abilities to guess and getting many of the easier questions. It also helped that Srah is extremely nerdy and named her computer after the Patron Saint of the Internet...thanks for the help in getting a piece of the pie! I was also very proud of myself for getting the sports question right all by myself. I am usually not good at random knowledge. I also learned some new things too. I've decided that zero proof hillbilly moonshine is my new favorite beverage.

Fond Memories of Foundations Classes

I don't remember much about my classes from last year other than random SI jargon that my friends like to re-use like: queue, berrypicking, and satisficing. This evening Urs informed me that her blog from March 7th of last year stated: "Eventually Cari and Srah and Mike came downstairs and worked on a trip to Tahiti that turned into a trip to Paris cuz none of them knew where Tahiti was." Ah...the snow and cold makes me want to go to Tahiti right now. *sigh* I guess I'll just have to dream about a tropical paradise. I'd also like to go to Paris someday. I'm the only weirdo who has been to France and not Paris, Italy twice and not Rome. One day I'll travel the world!

Who needs sleep?

After taking a red-eye flight in from San Francisco and arriving in Detroit at 5am yesterday morning, I proceeded to stay awake until 4am this morning. I must say i took a fairly short nap. The reason for my staying awake was to finish a take-home exam due in my 9am course. To my horror when I arrived in a zombie-esque state to my class, I learned that the exam is due next Monday. Oops! Needless to say I am tired and frustrated that I missed out on a good opportunity for sleep. Now as I sit here in class I am fantasizing about my pillow and how nice it would be to rest my head upon it.

Come Fly the Unfriendly Skies

I've been doing a lot of flying the past few weeks (yes, in airplanes) and the flight attendants have been extremely rude! Ruder than I ever remember them being. This morning one flight attendant spilled water on me and instead of apologizing she just said, "It's not that bad". On Tuesday, I asked a large male flight attendant to help me, a very short female, put my bag in the overhead compartment. He said no, and proceeded to watch me struggle to lift a heavy bag and try to put it into a compartment that I was too short to reach. Eventually he put a hand up and pretended to help. They forgot to come through to pick up trash on one of my flights and now they charge for food on flights, even my 5 hour flight to San Francisco. I know I'm not flying first class, but I want some service...and at least people to be nice!

Hotel California

It took a while and a few wrong turns (okay so I got lost on the freeway a billion times) driving from the airport to my hotel. Eventually I found it. I then went out to a cute little Japanese restaurant for dinner. It was good, I'm actually finding it relaxing eating at restaurants by myself. The family at the next table over kept looking at me...I'm wondering if it was because I looked like a 12-year-old in my comfortable plane attire (sweats and glasses and no makeup). So these people are thinking...why is a 12-year-old eating alone at a restaurant. Well, I guess they probably figured I could drive, but I certainly did not look like I was traveling on business. I like to be comfortable on long travel days. Besides, who are they to judge? Their kids were obnoxious, but they did provide nice entertainment. One of them got a soy bean stuck up his nose. The other kid picked up a chopstick of the floor and gave it to his baby sister to play with (of course she put it in her mouth...).

Who is your favorite President?

Today is a national holiday so the postal office will not be delivering my mail, etc. Of course the fine institution where I take my classes is not honoring the holiday by giving us the day off, so I decided to celebrate by thinking about the wonderful men who have led our country. Well ok so they're not all wonderful, but I couldn't decide on my favorite. I like JFK because he was so dreamy and Abraham Lincoln because he wore a hat. No really, I think I'm holding out for picking a favorite President for a real reason until the person in office is not a white, christian male. I know that may never happen, but I can keep hoping.

99 bottles of beer on the wall

Thursday was my little brother's 21st Birthday and I went to the bar with him and his buddies. Man was that weird being at a bar with him (I brought a few friends of mine along too). Well he didn't have that much to drink in my presence, but I still was feeling old at the table. The funniest was when one of my brother's friends was trying to hit on me. He thought he was so cool being a senior and all. It was tough to break it to him that I was the birthday boy's big sister. In case you're wondering, there is very little if any family resemblance so it was an honest mistake. I was just amused especially with the poor pickup lines.

Now that my teeth are rotting...

So I made it through the dreaded v-day as a girl who has recently plummeted into singledom (not a word I know). This was mostly in part to the lovely valentine I received from my true love Srah which I received first thing in the morning en route to my 9am class. Why I have 9am classes on Mondays and Fridays is still a mystery to me. My prof did give us some candy so I was on a sugar high by 9:15am. Then I got to my least favorite class ever to receive v-day cupcakes. My dentist would be so proud. I think I ate more sweets today than I normally do on my Birthday, and that's saying a lot since my Birthday is Halloween (the day that celebrates candy...well that and other things like ghosts and pumpkins)

Unless You're John Kerry, No one from Boston Loses

I was watching ESPN and heard the above statement. I guess that now the Red Sox have broken the curse (seeing as they hadn't won the World Series since 1918), they can say things like that. Go Pats, Go Red Sox...and the area's college sports are doing well too. I guess I route for BC since my cousins go there. The other undefeated college basketball team is going to embarass my beloved Wolverines tonight. So it's been a very good year or so for Boston sports fans. Too bad we can't say the same about our country's leadership.

Enlightenment

I was sitting in a meeting today at work listening to my co-workers feeling totally confused as to why the rollout of a new system went poorly and what could have gone wrong. As they tossed out possible explanations and were thinking about what to do next I couldn't help but sit there thinking "It's totally obvious". Then it struck me...they did everything that my program has preached against doing. I realized that I have learned stuff in school and that HCI is valuable in the real world.

Stop Thief!

I woke up this morning and headed to lunch only to find that my lovely Welcome Mat outside of my door was gone. :-(. And on my door was a big piece of chewed gum! Yes, my neighbors had a rockin' party last night and one of them or their lovely guests is the likely suspect. Grrr...I really liked my Welcome Mat (It was straw and had the design of the Big House Football field on it). Now I must wipe my wet boots on the carpet in the hall or buy a new mat and risk it getting stolen.

Paper Thin Walls

My neighbors with whom I share a wall are these undergraduate boys who party all the time and blast their music. It is fine when I'm not home, but since I do the majority of my activities in the room to which we share a wall, it is quite annoying. I mean right now I'm trying to write a paper and all I can hear is the country music blasting. I don't even like country music! Well, they sometimes play rap and hip-hop. Oh wait, I don't like that either. I miss last year when I lived next to the Apartment Manager. He was silent. I hate undergraduate boys that interrupt my studying.

Making Myself Insane

So today for a class exercise I had to analyze my information seeking behavior for a 12 hour period. It was ok at first, but as the day went on, I just wanted to go through my normal routine without thinking about it. Like if I checked my emails or sent an IM or surfed the web...I didn't want to write down some silly code and think about what I was doing. Now I'm concerned that after 12 hours of analyzing myself I will continue to pay too much attention to the mundane things I do everyday. I mean, I spend at least 5 hours a day at a computer and some time watching TV. Will I go insane by the end of the week? I want my life back! HELP!

Librarians and Cats

What is it about people at SI and cats. It seems like a large percentage of the students have cats or are aficionados of cats. Today I was at the SI Revue and Mike mentioned his cats in the program and Noor blogged about her cat. Rebecca talks about her cats all the time...one was recently ill. Rachel, Amanda, and Ursula talk about their cats all the time. What is it about librarians and cats? Not that all the aforementioned people are librarians, but they are students at SI and are not the only ones who have cats. All I know is that my kitty makes it easier to get through rough times by keeping me company and providing me with unconditional love at all times! So with that here he is (keep in mind he is about twice as big as he is in the pic):

Winning isn't everything, but losing is nothing.

For the first regular season home game in hockey since I've been at the University of Michigan we lost. The crowd was quiet, the players were sloppy, and the Northern Michigan fans were cheering their little hearts out. Our stellar goalie let in way too many easy goals (not that I could do any better mind you). After the game we went to Damon's and the Northern players and families were all there in a private party room. Oh wells, but it was totally wierd being at a hockey game that we lost. But then again, MSU lost to the under 18 team tonight...that must be pretty embarassing for them.

Reliving My Youth

Recently I've become addicted to foods that are neither nutritious nor of high quality. I am eating Kraft macaroni and cheese and Chef Boyardee of several varieties all the time. I sometimes wonder if it's because I've reached a new level of laziness, but in reality I think it's just that my food tastes have regressed to that of a small child. I also think it's because I didn't really like Chef Boyardee products when I was younger. I thought it smelled funny, and I've always had something against food that smells funny. I have never liked apple juice because of its smell. Maybe I'm just wierd and like super processed foods that have noodles all of a sudden.

Men are from Mars

Yesterday we discussed aliens and why people believe in aliens for an hour of our psychology class. Last night when talking with Rachel I learned that our lives have been eerily similar over the past few weeks. Perhaps I should just go by my middle name and say we are the same person...

While I don't actually believe in aliens, I have no doubt that men do in fact come from a different planet. What else could explain what goes on in those heads of theirs?

Got Milk?

In the wake of our recent snow storm I chose to remain firmly planted in my apt or get rides from people with four-wheel drive. I don't drive particularly well in snow and get scared. Meanwhile, my milk was already expired prior to the snow storm. Today after a long day of class I finally decided the roads were of a normal winter condition and drove to the grocery store. When alas I arrived at the dairy aisle, there was no milk with minimal fat quantity. Seeing as I was raised on skim milk, even 2% tastes funny in cereal and such. They only had the extremely large jugs of whole milk with expiration dates in only a few days. Since I rarely finish a half gallon of the kind of milk I like and am used to, I chose not to purchase milk at all. So I left the grocery store with my primary mission unfulfilled. Grrrrrr....

If I were a bear...

If I were a bear I'd be hibernating right now not to leave my cave until Spring. But since I'm not a bear, I can only pretend to hibernate until I get extremely bored or have something important to do. It's only January and I am totally and completely sick of Winter. I am trying desperately to get a job somewhere warm, but I have this feeling that life will play some evil trick on me and I'll end up in Alaska or Minnesota or somewhere colder than here.

I'm Back

Hello fellow readership, I've finally decided to start blogging again! I've chosen not to publish the blog on my own SI webspace so that I can give that URL out to potential employers without having to worry too much about them reading what gets said. Although obviously on a public blog nothing can really be kept totally private. But I think I have the need for a place to vent and bitch and just make random silly comments for people I know to see and read if they choose.