Would you rather?

At work on Friday, I asked a few “Would you rather” questions. 

Would you rather have the ability to fly or the ability to be invisible?

Would you rather be blind or deaf?

Would you rather have popcorn stuck in the back of your mouth, or have a fly keep buzzing around when you’re trying to sleep?

It’s now almost 1am, and I’ve spent the better part of 15 20 minutes hunting a fly that’s been buzzing around.  I’d like to retract my original answer to the question;  I’d rather the popcorn.

—–

Update: 1:23AM – Fly is dead.

Smokin’ HLBs.

I don’t smoke. However, I would like to be able to take a Healthy Lung Break in the same spirit of those who step out of the office to go “have a cig.”

To once or twice a day, get out of the office for ten minutes or so without a specific agenda like lunch or running an errand, would be incredible. It is absolutely gorgeous out today, and some of us in the web department went outside to take some updated pictures of the exterior of our office building. After a mere five minutes outside, I feel like a new woman. Now, I know what you’re thinking, but no – I wouldn’t take advantage of my Healthy Lung Break – i’m busy, I have deadlines, and (perhaps most importantly) I’m in New Haven, Connecticut – not exactly known for its stupendous weather. So it would really only be a few months when HLB’s would really even be a possibility. 

I think that Healthy Lung Breaks (HLB’s) should be rewarded to all non-smokers. It clears the mind, and even promotes team building because you get to talk to your coworkers. Basically the same things that I imagine the smokers go outside for, without the cancerous side effects.

Not that i’m without my potentially cancer causing vices…

 

Three cans between noon and 4:30pm.  This has gotta stop. 

(And um, w/r/t my recent techno-rambles, I somewhat reluctantly signed up for twitter.)

The Granny Smith by Apple

I work in web development – I spend hours and hours infront of a computer.  Yesterday, being Friday, I spent the hours from 9am to 5:30pm at my desk, computer-ing (verb? why not.)  I was looking at the computer and I thought, “I wonder why it’s called a ‘Mac.’  Where did that come from? Other computer names make sense.  Toshiba is obviously the name of a person, HP were people too I think.  Are people named Macintosh, or Apple?  Wait…yes they are.  Apple Martin – wow Gwenyth Paltrow.  What were you thinking.  You werent thinking.  Anyway, Macintosh.  Hmm…” 

Apple.  Mac.  Macintosh.  Oh my god - a Macintosh is a kind of Apple.  The Macintosh Computer, by Apple. 

It blew my mind.     

So much so in fact, I hit up Sean on g-talk to confirm that my excitement was warranted. 

—-

10:01AM

Mindy: i literally just realized that “macintosh” as in the apple computer, comes from the idea of a macintosh apple. As in the fruit.
  my world is forever changed. 
Sean: never even thought about it

—-

Not as impressed. 

I started thinking about the business meeting that took place during the naming of the “Apple Macintosh Computer” and the other possible names it could have potentially had.  I realized why they went with ‘Macintosh’ over the alternative.

The Granny Smith by Apple.  Drops January 24th, 1984. 

Taking the nation by storm!

Staying In is the new Going Out. Experiments in agoraphobia.

I spent all of Saturday afternoon and evening at a friends’ BBQ, complaining about how hot it was. Not the BBQ, but the outdoors. Today has been stifling hot as well.

“But Mindy, you’re Australian – isn’t it always supa hot down unda?” – Everyone

(Stop with that ridiculous accent, Everyone)

Yes, it’s very hot during the summer, but it’s a dry heat. I can handle that. That, and the bushfires and terrible droughts. We have Vegemite and Koala’s – fair trade.

—–

Woman: It’s so human out there!

Man: Yeah, if the heat doesn’t get you, the humanity will.

[via overheardinnewyork.com]

—–

Anyway, I’m being serious. The humanity / humidity makes me feel claustrophobic in my own skin -as a result, I spent my entire day today inside, save for a seven minute excursion to the bank.

Earlier this week, I went out for coffee with some friends and said, “I go out almost every night these days, but I lovestaying in. I should do it more often.” After the action packed excitement of a day spent hibernating, I couldn’t agree with myself more. I actually got alot done today within these four walls. (There are more four, I just never counted.) In addition to actual work-related productivity, I did some reading, watched some really terrible TV, tried (in vain) to fix the disk drive on my laptop (help me, Internet), and decided I need a haircut. The whole thing reminded me of a conversation I recently had with Holly:

Me: I’m going out w. Melinda tonight
but like out-out, downtown sort of situation. Kinda feel like hibernating though. It’s early yet, we’ll see
Holly: hibernation!?
you aren’t a bear
Me: hibernation.
in fact i wanted to write a blog post about hibernating
1:41 PM Holly: haha
Me: i have a theory about it
Holly: that’s its nice for bears?
Me: no.
that it’s nice for me.
and that I’ll be a better person if I hibernate
Holly: hah ok
1:42 PM but for how long?
Me: TBA
Holly: I don’t like the sound of this. can you hibernate while I’m in Paris?
1:43 PM Me: it won’t be an extended period of time.
Let me run my theory by you…
Holly: haha ok
Me: If I go out like, one MAYBE two nights a week – good things will happen.
because we already know i like staying in anyway – i just rarely do -let me explain:
1:44 PM 1. I’ll have more money because I won’t have to buy drinks, spend money on gas / train / subway things. Won’t eat out as often and so on.
2. With said saved money, i’ll be able to buy cool stuff – like books, music and movies which I’ll have time to read / listen to / watch. And cool clothes – all the time.
3. Considering the above, when I DO go out – I’ll have rad outfits, and have cool things to say because I’m super cultured from the books and movies, and people will be glad to see me, because they miss me.
the last part of that of course, assumes that my friends like me.
that’s my theory.
1:45 PM Holly: its a good theory, I like it.
Holly: but do your friends like you?
Me: you tell me.

———————

(I never noticed how often I use dashes in internetspeak before)

If you start seeing me less, it’s not because i’m too busy, too cool, or uninterested in hanging out with you. It’s most likely because i’m testing this theory of mine or feel claustrophobic in this North East weather.

Realistically, I highly doubt i’d be able to go more than three or four days without seeing my friends. Even if you / they just came here and hibernated with me – I need the interraction. But it’s still something I consider. Going out is expensive, and I usually have just as much fun staying in (either here, or at someone else’s place) and just enjoying eachothers’ company.

What do you think? Hibernate for the summer? How should I get my hair cut?

And, of equal or lesser importance: should I go to grad school?
p.s. Kara, feel better. I love/miss you. Let’s stay-in soon.)

Paradise by The Monitor Light

The amount of time I spend at a computer is truly absurd.  Not only have I replaced television with blogs, social networking, and several other important, educational pursuits – but all non-leisurely aspects of my life revolve around computers too.

I’m a web copy writer. I spend my work days sitting at a computer writing and researching. (Breaks are spent starring at the back of Sean’s head.)

I’m a student.  An advertising student to boot.  I spend an awful lot of time making ads, writing copy, revising ads, revising copy…And, it’s finals week (!)  I have lots of projects / portfolios I’m working on.  All of which are being done with the use of computers.  Specifically, the computers found in the computer lab on campus - which is commonly (and somewhat affectionately) refered to as being my “home away from home.”

Seriously.  There are jokes between my classmates and I that we’re setting up mailing addresses in the computer lab.  Bringing sleeping bags. Getting land-lines installed.  Pitching tents… 

This has gotta stop.

I think it’s entirely possible that, at this rate, I’ll go blind soon.  And most likely have terrible arthritis in my fingers from all this typing. 

On the plus side,  I just found out that I can type 105 words per minute.  Try beat me.

 

…back to work

Listen to the music playing in your head

Have you ever woken up with a song stuck in your head, as though you were dreaming about it?

It keeps happening to me. 

This morning was, “My Sharona” and a few days ago it was “Handle Me With Care.”  A long time ago I had an incredibly vivid dream involving the guitar solo from “Hotel California,” which is really strange because I don’t even know that song very well.  And I don’t know “My Sharona” very well either.  

Please let me know if this happens to you,

 

or if you think i’m losing my mind (Sharon-a).

Oh, Word?

Today, my English professor dedicated the entire lecture to words. 

Word choice.  Finding the perfect word. 

After a few exercises and other nerdy wordy fun, she asked us to make a list of our favorite words.  After a few people put their lists on the board, we discussed them – why we like them, and how it says something about our personality (which was really going off on a tangent, but we stuck it out.) 

Personally, I LOVE words.  My professor and I got a little worked up over the word “egg.”  I hate it, she loves it.  It was weird and nerdy but hilarious.  Anyway, I really do have big feelings about words – the right words.  I visit dictionary.com at least twice a day.  I also go through phases with them too.  I’ll hear something and have it be a part of my vernacular until something else catches my attention.  A somewhat recent one is “catastrophe.”  Jenn and I were getting buttons, she needed eight, they only had six, and there was no secret back room of buttons – I asked. 

 ”Well, this is a catastrophe!”

  

Anyway, here is my list*:

• Aplomb – I love how precise this word is, and it’s a great quality for someone to have.  I wish I could use it more often.
• Assuage – I like this word because of it’s application; which, although rarely used, is more often than not a better choice than ‘pacify’ or ‘alleviate’.  I also like the way it sounds.  Asswaaaggeee.
• (On) Principle – I use this word /phrase alot.  I think that too few people are motivated by the principle of things.  People tend to be more concerned with doing something for external reasons, rather than a general right-or-wrong regardless of the repercussions mindset. 
• Lithe – This word sounds like what it means, and it is so fun to say.  I wish I could use it to describe everything.  “This desk is so lithe.”  Well, maybe not everything.
• Salubrious- A recent addition to my vocabulary, it means ‘conducive to health or well-being’.  It’s not an every day term, and I’ll admit it’s a little pretentious, but I love it.
• Abominable- The BEST, most powerful way to describe a snow-man, or other unfavorable things, humans, situations etc.
• Lovely – Some people might think this is kind of an empty word like nice…”Oh, he’s so nice.” (What does that even mean?) But I think quite the opposite.  It’s such a feminine word, and it’s generally seen as being meek- but when used sparring and appropriately, it can have a lot of meaning. 
• Lunatic – I just use this word alot.  I don’t like to call people stupid, so I more often accuse them of lunacy rather than idiocy.

What are your favorite words, and why?  Because of it’s meaning?  It’s sound?  Is there a weird, personal reason behind it?  A little from column A, and a little column B? 

*This list is subject to change at any given time.

but it was just a paper-cut.

At work on Friday afternoon, I was doing my usual shuffling through some papers while being picked on by the boys…and the unimaginable happened,

I got a paper-cut. 

Now, I hate paper-cuts just as much as the next person, and I hadn’t had one for quite some time, so this particular one got me wondering, what the heck makes a paper-cut hurt so bad? 

Because I’m weird like this, I did a little research…

A paper cut is similar to a cut with a razor blade, with one major difference. A razor blade makes a smooth, clean incision in the skin, leaving behind few if any foreign particles that might cause the wound to become infected. Although it might hurt initially, the pain brought on by a small razor cut usually fades after a few minutes.

Like a superficial cut by a razor blade, a paper cut smoothly parts the skin. But while a clean razor leaves little behind to irritate the wound, a paper cut deposits material that really stings. Paper is made of pressed wood mulch and a variety of chemicals. When paper cuts into the skin, chemical-coated fibers as well as bacteria and tiny particles remain in the wound and stimulate pain receptors in the skin.

Because the cut is usually small and shallow, the skin on either side of the wound closes quickly, trapping the fibers and other particles inside. The result is a good deal of pain, and since the closed wound doesn’t allow for much bleeding, the pain seems entirely out of proportion to a cut that you can barely detect. (From A Moment of Science)

So there you go.  Knowing that there are fibers and particles trapped inside my thumb isn’t exactly a soothing thought, but it’s interesting to know that’s why it hurt so bad.  Next time I hit my funny bone I’ll probably post something too, because I don’t know how that works either. 

I would send you a bouquet of newly sharpened pencils…

I start what would have been my final semester of classes on Tuesday.  I say “would have been” because major switching, timing and internships got in the way, so I’ll need another semester to complete my B.A. which is annoying really but it’s not that a big deal because…

I’m getting off topic,

 I wanted to write about school supplies.  School supplies and my love for them.  To me, the best part of starting new classes is all the new gear you get the few days before they start.  Or in my case, the few weeks before they start.  I’ve talked about this with several friends, and some share my passion for fresh notebooks, folders and boxes of pens, others think I’m crazy.  To these people I say, use your notebooks from last year.  And may you never lose a page of them. 

Personally, I use a three ring binder, with separators and lined paper – all from the same source, no mismatched sizes or colours.   I also use a few pocket folders to keep important hand outs in, handouts that will one day make their way into my three ring binder. 

It makes me feel organized.  Or at least, keeps up the illusion that i’m an organized individual.

My preferred writing utensil is a Bic ultra round, with grip.  Not the clicky kind.  I write in blue.  Interestingly, I have a lot of fancy pens; you know, the kind of pen that you change the ink barrel of?  But I never use them.  I like my plastic Bic pens that I’m almost certainly going to lose the lids to.  I’ve also known the Bic Crystal pens to have it’s fair share of fans. 

On the subject of keeping dates and assignments and meetings in order, I stray from the majority.  I don’t use an agenda pad.  I previously have, but I’ve found them to be very inflexible.  Let’s say I have lots to do on Monday and relatively little planned for Thursday, and I have been given the same 2″ box for both.  What’s a girl to do?  In keeping up with this newfangled technology I’m always on about, a couple of years ago I bought a PDA.  However, I never used it.  (Do you want it?)  I found that syncing it with my computer was relatively pointless, it took me ages to write things down with the stupid stylus, and I had to deal with the whole battery situation.  Not to mention the pretentiousness of being 19 year old kid with a PDA.    Absurd. 

Now days, I use one of these.  Moleskine Notebook.  Swear by it.  Mine is the ruled reporter notebook.  Although, yes, it is technically just a plain ruled notebook…it is so much more.  It’s the perfect size for both your Mondays and Thursdays – because there’s no limits.  Looking through mine, I have phone numbers, websites, assignments, reminders, a seating plan, a list of songs…a grocery list (I go grocery shopping?)  It’s a bit pricey considering it is a notebook, but it’s exceptional craftsmanship makes it worth it.  Incredibly durable, nay…rugged, it can handle a beating.  High quality paper (stitched together- not glued), an elastic strap to keep things together and the pages protected, and a little pocket in the back for important things (I keep a copy of important phone numbers, and a dollar bill… ’cause you never know).  I’ve had my current one for over a year and it’s still in perfect condition and I won’t leave the house without it. 

Or without a blue Bic ultra round. 

Yes, I know that writing about this has solidified the fact that I’m probably the biggest nerd you know, but I’m OK with it.  I own it.  

Do you have a favorite writing utensil?  How do you stay organized?  Will you still say “Hi” to me in public after this post?

partly cloudy, with a chance of meatballs

At 12:08 last night, I turned on the TV to check out my local weather report.  I want to know what I’m in for this weekend. 

partly cloudy.  mostly sunny.  partly cloudy and so on.

Which reminded me of a conversation that I’ve had several times with several people.  All inspired by one friend who posed this question:

What is the difference between partly cloudy, and mostly sunny? 

Wouldn’t it make more sense to describe the conditions as “mostly cloudy” and “mostly sunny”.  The word “partly” means to me that a part of my sky will be cloudy, rendering the rest of it…sunny.  Mostly sunny, if you prefer.   This could just be a “glass-half-full” kind of thing.  When the meteorologist is in a good mood she’ll say “it’s mostly sunny!” and when she’s fighting with her husband and her cat just destroyed her new comforter, “it’s partly cloudy, dammit.”

My favorite weather description is “abundant sunshine.”  Besides the fact that “abundant” is a great word, it just puts a little hop in my step.  She must have been in a great mood that day. 

Tell me your thoughts.  I know it doesn’t really amount to anything and we all know what the forecast means, it’s just one of those things.