Monday, October 13, 2008

Wile E Coyote's Legacy

More political goodness from The Daily Show:




Sooo...tired...

Going off of Mirapex has been hell. Seriously...I've tried everything under the sun, and nothing works. The rebound effect of going off of Mirapex AND Clonazepam is torture. RLS isn't life threatening, but the lack of sleep may be. The only way I've gotten any sleep is by taking some left over pain medication I have for gall bladder attacks. I've just put in a call to my doctor asking if he could prescribe something like Ultram so that I can get some sleep on a regular basis, until the worst is over. . Ugh.

Thursday, October 09, 2008

Multitasking: You're Not Getting As Much Done As You Think

This morning on NPR, I heard a story about multitasking, and it seems that it's not all it's cracked up to be. According to the story,
"doing several things at once can feel so productive. But scientists say switching rapidly between tasks can actually slow us down."

I know I'm totally guilty of multitasking. Right now, I have my work e-mail open, am writing this blog entry, and am trying to look at some sample pages. Part of me knows that I'm not devoting 100% to any of these tasks. But, I've always been like this...I can't just do one thing at a time (no, I don't drive and talk on my cell...that's where I draw the line). And now I know why. Apparently, the brain gets addicted to multitasking! Great. That totally scares me, especially after reading,
"Multitasking causes a kind of brownout in the brain. [...] the lights go dim because there just isn't enough power to go around. ... So, the brain starts shutting things down — things like neural connections to important information."
There's a process called "spreading activation" that goes on when we're learning about a particular topic. So, when we multitask, the connections we were creating for, say, understanding what's being said in a complicated e-mail, get interrupted when we try to do something else in the midst of understanding that e-mail (say, read another e-mail, take a call, etc.). Thus, we have to recreate those connections in our brain when we try to go back to what we were originally doing. Efficiency goes down as a result. In short, that's making us work slower.

But, taken in small doses, multitasking isn't something we should totally discard. Like, listening to music, and doing work at the same time isn't a distraction. However, that's because it's not interrupting our consciousness, like seeing an e-mail notification might. We just have to learn to prioritize, not let those sorts of interruptions take over, and learn to say, "no, I'm not going to answer that right now."

Okay...I'll try that. Maybe my brain will thank me for it. :)

Wednesday, October 08, 2008

The Second Presidential Debate

All I have to say is...glad I didn't hear the word "maverick" come out of McCain's mouth last night. Then again, I couldn't have a drinking game like I wanted to do with the veep debate...between "maverick" and "nukyular" that night, I could have had some fun...if I'd had any alcohol present in the house, heh. But, I did hear, "change" come out of Obama's mouth a lot...but it's something I don't mind hearing. :)

RLS Update

It's been two weeks since I've tapered off of Mirapex for Restless Legs Syndrome, and I have to say it's been sheer hell. Why did I go off of it? Well, my doctor and I have reason to believe it caused me to sleepwalk during REM sleep, which is very dangerous not only for me but for my boyfriend. I was taking 2 mg of Clonazepam to keep the sleepwalking under control, but it was making me feel terrible the next day. So, I'm tapering off of that as well. I've turned to vitamin and mineral supplements. Apparently, a lack of folic acid, magnesium, and iron can cause RLS. While you can take magnesium and folic acid without any adverse effects, iron is a different story. Taking too much can cause major health problems...yikes! With that said, I've gone and had my iron tested. The results haven't come in yet, but I'm hoping it shows that I have low iron. If it does, my doctor tells me iron supplementation can help a great deal. Keep your fingers crossed!

Tuesday, April 22, 2008

Cause I'm the Tax Man

So...I got my tax refund, but it was wiped out by the local taxes I owed for 2007, and 1/4 of 1.5% of my estimated taxes for 2008. No fair! I have to send in quarterly taxes now, which I'm not used to. That's where one of my savings accounts comes in. I've made one into my local tax account. I'd rather make it my HDTV savings account, but oh well. Guess taxes are more important, since the tax man will get you eventually if you're not paying your taxes. Sometimes, I wish we'd have a fairer tax system (no, not the fair tax...I don't see that happening anytime soon). It'd make life easier for a lot of people, I think.

Word

I think I've met my match when it comes to word games, like Scrabble and Upwords. Yes, you guessed it...it's my new main squeeze! I was expecting to smash him, since he's more of the mathematical type of person. But he's beaten me almost every single time! And I work in publishing! I'm supposed to win, heh. Guess not, since he's beaten me by like 100 points (just one time, though). It's still fun, though, because I've never dated anyone who loved playing word games like I do. Yes, I, who am uber-competitive, do not mind losing to this guy. Hmmm...

You...Play Golf? No Way!!

I almost fell off my chair the other day when my boyfriend told me two of his bandmates were golf addicts. They do NOT look like your typical golfer...although, what does a typical golfer look like? I have no idea, really. Anyway, he mentioned he plays every now and then, which also surprised me. So who knows? Maybe I'll be buying him Titleist golf balls for his birthday or something. He's the first guy I've ever dated who's even touched a golf club...putters notwithstanding. So, we played an X-box version of golf, and you know what? I had fun! So, I'm thinking that maybe, just maybe...I might try it. Now, knowing my history with sports involving hitting a ball with a racket or bat, I'm not sure how well it'll go. But I'll never know if I don't give it a shot. :)

It's Quiet...Too Quiet

Okay, so maybe I've not been watching as much TV or reading as many entertainment or gossip blogs as I used to, but doesn't it seem like it's been a long time since someone like Paris Hilton getting another DUI or Britney Spears has been out of the limelight? Isn't it about time for us to hear about Britney's latest addiction treatment? Or maybe not. I'm kinda glad that things have settled down in that respect. Of course, there will always be some celebrity scandal brewing. But for now, it seems fairly quiet in Hollywood. Must be time for something big!

Boys and Their Toys

Okay, as I may have mentioned before, I've been dating someone now for about 2 months. We met on Valentine's Day...yes, I'm not lying, it was Valentine's Day.

Anyway, so, he just bought a house in November, and he's trying to set up a home theater in his basement. He's got all of the equipment, but he doesn't have any home theater furniture. Well, he doesn't have much furniture, period. He was going to get this sofa he found "as-is" at IKEA for $110, with the slipcover. But, they sold it before he could get back with a truck to haul it in. Bummer. So, he's keeping an eye out for some cheap, decent-looking furniture for this room. Because once he does, it will be a sweet setup. I know I'll be over watching movies...that is, when he's not playing in one of his bands. :)

Click

I think I've found my hobby, finally, something that I love doing...photography. Well, I actually fell in love with it in college when I took a photography class, developing in a darkroom and all. I had my parents ancient Konica manual focus camera, when everyone else had their parents' SLRs. I felt slightly inadequate at first, until my art professor practically drooled over my camera, telling me it was a classic. That made me feel a little better. Then I started taking pictures and developing them, and I started feeling really, really good about it. Granted, I had no flash, so all of my pictures were in broad daylight. But, I found some really interesting subject matter that lent itself to great pics (black and white, mind you). When I had to display my portfolio, one of the other art professors was very taken with a lot of my work, and told me I should think about pursuing a career in photography. I would have loved to, but I didn't have access to a dark room, or any of the equipment for developing film. So, I dropped it.

Fast forward to 2008, when I started dating someone who plays in two local bands (In Ten Cities and The Smoky Basement Project). I started taking pictures of the shows with my fairly decent Kodak, which has manual settings for f-Stops, apertures, shutter speed, etc. But because the shows are all in very low-light conditions, I've been having to use flash, which takes away some of the ambience of the lighting that's used. Enter the Olympus E-Volt E-510, which I fell in love with online and bought this weekend. It's shipping next week (thank you, Dell...what, are you building it or something??). My next step is to find some classes I can take, especially using Photoshop (really interested in swapping out backgrounds).

Wednesday, April 09, 2008

It's About Time!

Next Friday, I finally...FINALLY...get to see a dermatologist. I made the appointment back in December. He's apparently one of the best in the city. He better be, after waiting this long. I'll be curious to see what sort of acne treatment he'll put me on. I'm hoping he'll try aldactone, a diuretic which is similar to the progesterone that's in Yasmin, also known to me as the "Miracle Worker" for my skin (not so much for my mood, though). A friend of mine used to go to him and said he's a big fan of Accutane...so I'm hoping he doesn't want to jump straight to that. I really, really don't want to go on it, unless nothing else works. My general practitioner has me on topical clindamycin, which I combine with benzoyl peroxide. And that works to clear up my breakouts, but not to control them, unfortunately (namely the cystic stuff which is totally hormonal). So, wish me luck!

Time after Time

The other day, I was going through my jewelry box and drawer, and I realized I have a TON of watches...a TON. But, none of them works. I've been too lazy to get the battery replaced in any of them. So now I'm wearing a cheap digital watch, which has actually lasted longer than any of the luxury watches I have (well okay, they're not luxury watches like Tag Heuer, but they are nice). How about that, sports fans? My favorite is my Anne Klein II watch, and I keep meaning to take it to a jeweler to replace the battery. But, as with most things in my life, I procrastinate...so it's just sitting there, gathering dust.

Bargain Shopping

So I've been scouring clearance racks lately (Target, I love you!), and that's always fun...especially when I accidentally rifle through racks that have maternity clothing on them! Whoopsie! Although I have to say, maternity clothes have come a long way. Some are really, really cute! If I ever do get pregnant, at least I know I'll be able to look stylish...although after 9 months, I'm sure that'll be the last thing I care about, heh. If my pregnancy is anything like my mother's...well, I'll be very, very pregnant at 9 months, so I'll be lucky if anything fits! But that's not something I have to worry about...although I'd be lying if I said I didn't want to be worrying about it sometime soon. Maybe someday, I will. :)

Paris Hilton's Grade Card

Tonight I saw this little report on Paris Hilton, and how well she's done on her pledges to help create halfway housing for women, do more for MS, work with children, not drive drunk, and not party as much. Well, she's actually cut down on the partying, and she hasn't driven drunk. But the other pledges? Hasn't done a thing with them. Oh well, I guess she can only do so much with her time and money, right? Damn. At least she hasn't been in alcohol rehab or anything, but still. You'd think she might have made a little more effort on some of the causes she said she'd champion. Maybe once she gets older, she will. Or is that too much to ask, too? Who knows.

Wednesday, March 26, 2008

Bouncy Bounce Bounce

More exercise equipment is the last thing I need, you know? But, I'm thinking that a mini trampoline might be a good thing to have to drag out into the living room so I can jog in place and watch a little TV, now that the shows I love are going to be back on. Actually, I've gotten hooked on The Riches on FX. My boyfriend gave me his DVDs of last season, so I'm sitting here watching the first two shows. Wow, I sure missed a good first season! This is good stuff! And, there are no commercials to deal with. Woo hoo!

Free Samples!

I'm a sucker for samples, promotional products, anything that I like I can get for free, I'm all for it. One time I bought $50 worth of stuff from Beauty.com just so I could get samples of stuff from Philosophy, Stila, Kinerase, and a plethora of other things I can't even remember. Was it worth it? Oh yeah. I also got a nice little red patent leather bag for makeup that I now can't live without. I think there were a total of 12 samples of stuff, which is a lot if you think about it. Some were almost full-size. Bonus! I haven't seen anything like it since then, but if I do and I have some extra cash...I'll be sure to get it.

Mazes and Jungles

The other day, I was in one of my company's server rooms, and I was blown away. I had no idea what one really looked like...a jungle of blade servers, towers, CAT6 cables, etc. And it was freezing cold, but apparently that's the way it's supposed to be. If it gets hot, that's a bad, bad thing. Anyone who can manage a room full of these things has got to be mechanically minded, because I have no idea how they tell one thing from another. It's a maze that I have no desire to get lost in, that's for sure.

Thursday, March 20, 2008

My TV Is Back!

Woot! Next week, Grey's Anatomy comes back! And soon, House will be back! I'm already enjoying Lost being on. And now...when the television season is usually going to end, it's just beginning. With the weather getting warmer, that's going to make things difficult. Although...it's why I have a DVR, I guess. Ah, television...can't live with it, can't live without it.

Listen to the Music

So tomorrow night, I'm going up to Dayton to see my boyfriend's band called The Smoky Basement Project, which is his original band. He's also in a cover band called In Ten Cities, which played a huge St. Patrick's Day show last Saturday. There's a third band he's trying to get into, which is local. What can I say? The boy loves being a musician. And I have to say that I really enjoy dating a musician, mainly because I love music so much. I never have had the opportunity to date one, so this is a first for me. But it's really inspiring to me to see him and his band mates up on stage playing their hearts out. He's not the front-man, but the bass guitar player...and he's really good, in my humble opinion. His bandmates are excellent, too. Together, they form a really tight band. And I'm getting to work on another hobby of mine...photography. Taking pictures of them is hard, but I'm getting better at it. If I get good enough...maybe I'll use that tax refund to buy a digital SLR camera! Heh.

Getting Paid to Post

What do I love about PayPerPost? It's the fact that I can make money off of what I love most, writing...well, my attempts at writing anyway. I'm not published anywhere, although I'd like to be. Maybe this blog will get noticed...someday? The chances are slim to none, but there's hope. Maybe if I wrote more about one particular subject, it might be noticed. But there's too much I like to write about, from politics, television, health, relationships...I could go on with the list, because there's really no subject I lack an opinion on. :) And as long as I can make $20 for posts like this one, I think I'll be happy with just writing about whatever comes to mind (or whatever they tell me to...or I'm "qualified" to write about). One day, they might not allow paid posting like this, but until then, I'm going to make the most of what I get paid to blog about. If I had the time, I'd post a lot more on here and make more money...but I can't post while at work. They think this is a paid-to-surf site, unfortunately. Oh well, guess I can do more at night...because I sure need the money.

Happiness at Last?

Well...I'm dating a new guy, and it's going great. Actually, it's better than it's ever been with any guy. I think he could (just maybe) be the guy I end up with. He's smart, funny, sweet, talented (industrial designer and a musician), cute, easy-going...I could go on, but I won't...because he has something I can't describe that makes me like him the more I get to know him. We play Scrabble and have a great time. We go to see his former band mates on St. Patrick's Day, and we have a blast. We sit and watch The Riches, and just enjoy being around each other. Perhaps it's the honeymoon period, but I don't think so. What's so amazing is...I think he likes me for me. And I like him for him. What more could I ask for? :)

I admit it...

I watch American Idol, despite my every intention NOT to watch it. But, I find myself getting sucked in every year by the auditions shows, which are like a train or car wreck...you don't want to watch people make complete idiots out of themselves, but you can't help it! So now, we're down to the final 10. Who will win, I really can't say. My personal favorite "dark horse" is Shikezie, who blew me away last week with his rendition of The Beatles "She's a Woman." Brooke is also good, but I'm not sure how long she can keep going with the whole Carly Simon vibe she has going. David Archuleta has an impeccable voice, but something about him annoys me. Michael Johns could be great...not sure why he hasn't blown us out of the water yet.

Anyway, so, I've been looking for forums and sites, besides the American Idol official site, to see what other people have to say, and I found this site called Idol Exclusive. It allows you to talk about the show through blogs, forums, pictures, etc. Heck, you can even access it through your cell phone, if you want. That's a bit much for me, but for the pure addicts (and I know you're out there!) it's sheer genius on their part to add that to their site.

Tuesday, March 11, 2008

How Time Flies

It's hard to believe it was 18 years ago that my family traveled to England and France...EIGHTEEN YEARS! Back then, we didn't have the luxury of the Internet to help us plan where we'd be staying, like being able to look up hotels on http://www.cheaperthanhotels.co.uk/United-Kingdom/York/ to find a cheap place to stay in York, which by the way was one of my favorite places we visited. Although, we just drove around until we found a bed and breakfast that looked decent. But still, it might have been cheaper for my folks to go to a site like http://www.cheaperthanhotels.co.uk/United-Kingdom/York/ and do a search beforehand. Granted, the spontaneity would have been killed, but my folks could have probably saved a ton of money. I wonder if being able to find inexpensive, yet decent, places to stay so easily has made more people be less spontaneous about where they might end up staying? Does being able to plan every last detail on the Internet at sites like http://www.cheaperthanhotels.co.uk/United-Kingdom/York/ hurt the spontaneity of some trips? Probably not...I mean, we had travel agents before the Internet, right?

Delta's Monopoly on Cincinnati

Spring break is right around the corner for most folks. Me? Well, I'd prefer to wait until it was a little warmer. But I'm wondering if now would be a good time to find cheap flights for later in the year? Of course, there's no such thing flying out of Cincinnati, which is one of, if not the, most expensive airports in the country. Gotta love Delta! So if I really want a cheap flight, I have to look at Dayton, Columbus, Louisville, and/or Indianapolis. It's very frustrating! Anytime a cheap carrier like JetBlue tries to make a go of it, Delta somehow puts them out of business here. Not sure how, but they do. Grrr! Nothing like driving 2 hours to save a few hundred dollars...

My Quarters

As far as bathroom vanities go, the one in my apartment is okay. I can tell it's about 20 years old from the color/decor, but it'll do. If I had my druthers, I'd have either a new pedestal sink, or one of those basins that sit on top of a countertop. But, because I have no control over the appliances or fixtures, I'll just have to live with what I've got. I'm getting the urge to start looking at condos again, but I'm here for the duration because I'm fairly certain I couldn't afford to replace anything like a stove, refrigerator, etc. that broke. *sigh*

Wednesday, February 27, 2008

My Expensive Clothes Hanger? Nah.

Yes, I actually have exercise equipment in my apartment. I have one of those ellipticals, also known as elliptical trainers, sitting in my office. While it does not have clothes hanging off of it, it is gathering dust. I've considered selling it...but I paid a ton of money for it, and it's a nice machine. Why I can't get motivated to use it, I don't know. Will my lack of motivation improve as the weather gets warmer, and the days get longer? Maybe. Guess I also need to find the adapter to plug it in...the batteries it can also use last about 2 weeks. Ugh. So many excuses. I'm really lazy!

Shopping Online

I get soooo many e-mails from stores I've bought things from online. It's getting to be overwhelming, actually. And it makes me want to spend money I don't have! But one of the e-mails I get is actually helpful. It lists coupons and deals from just about any store I can think of. Sometimes, it will list Kohls coupon codes, among other stores' codes, that you can use to get online deals. Why I didn't think of this idea, I'll never know. But I do rely on it a great deal to get my online discounts, when the one store I want to have an online sale doesn't send me an e-mail the one week I want to get something there.

Renovations

My dad has done a TON of renovations to his condo since Mom passed away. I mean, he totally redid the master bathroom, had the kitchen completely redone, and also had some other renovations done. There have been so many, I can't keep them all straight. Anyway, I think he had Kohler sinks put in the master bathroom, as well as the guest bathroom (that's what I was forgetting!). He put in one of those basin sinks that I thought I'd love to have myself, but it's too high for me...when I wash my face, I hit my head on the faucet! But, they are nice...much nicer than what I'll ever get in an apartment. Someday, I'll be able to get my own place and be able to make changes to things I don't like.

Back Pain

One of my friends at work has terrible back problems, and doctors can't figure out what's causing it. She's been through test after test, and there's nothing like a slipped or bulging disc. She's only 32, so it pains me to see her in such discomfort, or to know she has to rely on some heavy duty painkillers. Having some lower back problems myself, I have some idea what she's going through. The big difference is, mine went away. But there was a time when I was desperate for any relief. I mean, I was looking at things like a posture corrector, because sitting was just agony. Then I went to see my chiropractor...and then, I didn't need to buy anything. She's trying acupuncture now, but it's not helping. So...I wonder what else can be done for her, poor dear.

Wednesday, February 13, 2008

Cruising

When we went on our cruise back in 2005 (can't believe it was THREE years ago!!), my dad got travel health insurance because of his health problems, and the fact we'd be at sea with access to only a ship's doctor for a week. Did we need it? Thank goodness, no. But I think for anyone with serious health problems who travels should at least look into getting it, just in case the worst should happen...and your regular health insurance is a pain in the ass to deal with if you go out of network (like mine is).

Mmmm...coffee....

One year, one of my company's authors sent one of those espresso machines as a Christmas present to our team. Now that's some serious schwag! It sat out, unused, for a long, long time. And now it's been relegated to one of the cabinets so it doesn't take up counter space. I wonder if anyone would notice if it went missing? If I were more of a coffee freak, I might seriously consider taking it, because it's a shame for it to go to waste. I mean...it's a nice espresso machine! For it to go unused is a serious crime, for some people, I imagine.

Wednesday, January 30, 2008

IKEA!!!

I can hardly wait! The new IKEA opens on March 12th. Woo hoo! Of course, I will avoid that area like the plague for a few weeks, at least. The pictures I've seen of opening days at other IKEAs make Black Fridays at malls look like normal shopping days. I really, really need a dining room table, some new tall bookcases, and I'm also looking for a platform bed frame (or wrought iron, can't decide). Platform beds just look so "clean" to me...I can't describe it any other way. It's modern, but not too modern, you know? I think I might use that rebate check we're supposed to get in May for some home furnishings. Why does it have to be May??? Can I wait that long? We'll see.

My Apartment, So Far

So far, I really like my apartment. There are a few drawbacks, like the fact that I have to flush my toilet to get the whining noise in my shower to stop. Or, the fact that my water pressure isn't as great as I've had in the past. Or, that the hot water takes forever to heat up. I sometimes wish apartments had tankless water heaters, which provide almost instantaneous hot water and save you a lot of money. The water is heated as it travels through an element...it's not sitting there being stored, just waiting to be used. Maybe for a huge house, it's not the best idea in the world. But for an apartment dweller, it'd be great.

Winter Weather Clothing

I was watching some skiing and snowboarding event on some cable sports network (sorry, can't remember which one), and amidst all of the Nike and Adidas wear, I saw some Volcom clothing. I've never heard of it before, but apparently it's all the rage with snowboarders and skateboarders. It's along the lines of The North Face and Patagonia (with the same prices too). I myself don't own any, but it's rather stylish. Maybe if I could afford really expensive winter weather sportswear I'll never use...I'd buy it.

Wednesday, January 16, 2008

Time to Go Back to School?

With all of my recent, unwanted job changes (in other words, a reorg)...it's made me think about going back to school again, not for a degree, but to take some classes in marketing or PR writing, because I really need to get another skill set besides publishing project management. It'd be great if I lived in Chicago, Boston, New York, or maybe Los Angeles. But Cincinnati isn't exactly a publishing mecca. Yeah, my company is huge, and I could probably move around in it. It's just that I can't see myself here for the rest of my life. I think I might have to jump out one of the windows here if that were the case. So, I think I need to start looking at student loans, or else ask my dad for some support. It's just that he gave me about $6000 in financial assistance last year. Granted, it was mostly taxes for freelancing and a medical thing I had done, but still. Classes are expensive, and I don't feel like being beholden to this place for tuition reimbursement.

Thinking Way Too Much

You know, with my dad's recent stay at the hospital and subesequent recovery, it made me think about getting one of those medical ID bracelets because I'm allergic to penicillin. Now, I don't think I'll die if I get it administered to me. But from what Mom told me as I was growing up, it'd probably make me feel like I wanted to (I won't go into the details of what happens...it ain't pretty). And if I'm hospitalized without knowing about it...like, you know, I'm in a car wreck or something, I wouldn't want to have it administered to me to avoid feeling worse than I probably already would when I would come to. Yeah, I know...I think about things way too much sometimes. But I can't help it, it's genetic! So yeah...maybe I will get one of these. It'd mean one less thing for me to worry about, heh. :)

Staying at Dad's

When I stayed at my dad's place after his surgery, I slept on a bed with a memory foam mattress, or at least that's what the mattress cover was made out of (never took the sheets off to look). You know, it wasn't that bad. The first time I sat on it, it felt unforgiving. It was hard to get used to at first, and I always have problems sleeping in unfamiliar places. But after the first two nights, I slept pretty well. It definitely conformed to my body in all the right ways, probably better than a standard mattress. But these things are tres expensive, so I don't think I'll be getting one for myself anytime soon. Maybe I'll look into a mattress cover, because those aren't as expensive as an entire mattress made out of memory foam. We'll see.

Still Unpacking

Yes, I moved over a month ago...and I'm still unpacking. In all fairness, I had a bad case of tennis elbow (or in this case, mover's elbow), so I couldn't really do too much. What I didn't know what to do with went in the second bedroom, so it's completely full. My desk and home computer are in there, along with a myriad of cables (for all I know, I have some HDMI cables packed away somewhere). It's insane, and I can't figure out how to organize the closet in there. So I'm procrastinating beyond belief and just pretending like it's not as bad as it looks. My dad will be coming over when he can to help hang pictures. That'll help make it feel more like home and less like a temporary residence. That's my theory, anyway.

Wednesday, January 02, 2008

Closed Captioning - A Source of Amusement

Have you ever watched a television on mute with closed captioning? I'm doing it right now, actually. Sometimes it's hilarious what appears. Of course, now that I say that, I can't think of any good examples. And other times, having a closed captioning service available is very useful to see what someone actually said, because sometimes I just can't get what people are saying (speak too fast, garble their words, whispering, etc.). I shouldn't pass judgment, because I'm sure you just have to type whatever you hear, and as we all know, some actors are better at annunciating than others. And these people who do the typing type faster than I ever will in a million years, so my hat goes off to them. But man oh man, sometimes...I just chuckle at what I see.

Something I Just Don't Understand...

Around here in Cincinnati, there are a lot of customized cars. Some of them just make me laugh. I mean, it's a Honda Civic! It's not gonna go any faster because you've got a weird looking spoiler and a billet grille on the front. I mean, I get why people do it. But it still gives me a good chuckle when I see an old, beat up Civic try to go faster than everyone, making these loud, awful, sputtering noises because of the new exhaust system that also seems to go with the other stuff. Sometimes they do, sometimes they don't succeed. I still roll my eyes at them, regardless.

Folly Beach SC Real Estate - The Place To Be?

I'm always on the lookout for places to go that have a beach, and Folly Beach SC real estate looks very promising. Not that I'd buy anything there, or anywhere for that matter, but it looks like a lovely beach. And given it's 10 degrees outside with a few inches of snow on the ground, anyplace that has a beach sounds great to me right now. Seriously, it's so freakin' cold right now, I don't want to go outside. Of course, it's going to be in the 50s later this week. Why it can't just be in the 30s or 40s like it's supposed to be, I have no idea. I just hope that we don't have a repeat of last year, where February was full of days in single digit temperatures, and nights below zero. That would suck, and might make me flee to warmer climes if I can.

Gifts Galore

One of the gifts on my cousin's wedding registry was some luggage, very nice luggage actually. And they got it, along with the LCD television they said was their "what the heck?" registry item. Lucky for them, my cousin has a very generous aunt, because she took them to get it while we were there. Now, the television they had was this thing you had to hit to get it to work, so they really did need a new one. I don't need a new one, but I want an HDTV in the worst way possible. I am such a geek when it comes to new technology. I suppose there are some who are worse than I am, but not many. Maybe if my tax refund is big enough...that's what I'll get with it, an LCD that's at least 26", probably 32" in width. Here's hoping...